Attacks and threats against journalists remain an issue of concern in Italy. Among media workers, women and local journalists are two of the most vulnerable groups.

In Italy there is still much to do for gender equality. Inequalities in the media sector take different forms, including wage gaps, imbalance in presence at the management level, and different degrees of freedom to choose what to report about. Moreover, women journalists often feel unsafe and uncomfortable even in their workplace. Outside the newsroom, they are attacked for the sole fact of being women. Online harassment is another issue of concern, and it may have devastating effects such as turning away from social media, publishing articles anonymously, and leaving the journalistic career.

The vulnerability of local journalists is intertwined with the economic crisis of local media outlets. Local reporters are increasingly working as freelance journalists or even independent bloggers. These reporters should be included in the category of human rights defenders for their commitment to expose political wrongdoings and criminal activities.

This brief is part of our needs and gaps analysis, which will be available soon. Last year's publication is available here

Tags: Italy Safety of journalists Media and gender Local media

This content is part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response  (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries. The project is co-funded by the European Commission.