Attacks on the Press: Gender and Media Freedom Worldwide - Books

The 2016 edition of CPJ's focusing on gender-based threats to journalists and the media

ECPMF Alarm Centre for Female Journalists under Threat - Support Centres

On 8 March 2016, the ECPMF has created a special Women’s Reporting Point to address and raise awareness on increasing threats against female journalists.

Threats can be reported via encrypted messaging. The secure emails will only be opened by female staff at ECPMF headquarters and their contents will remain confidential. To provide appropriate legal assistance and solidarity to female journalists or media workers who report their cases, ECPMF is partnering with the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its Italian branch FNSI.

The rationale of this support measure stems from the consideration that female journalists are not only attacked because of their profession, they are also threatened because they are women, as pointed out also by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media. Gender-based threats, such as sexual and abusive comments, threats of rape or publishing pictures and phone numbers on sex and dating websites target women more often than men.  

ECPMF encourages all women to report attacks in order to seek help, but also to make the dimension of attacks against journalists visible: the reported cases will be collected in a database – with details of the woman’s identity removed in order to protect her – as basis of an analysis to show the scale of the problem across Europe.

Peace journalism handbook - Manuals

Bianet released a handbook on Peace-Journalism, proposing a professional model that is human rights-oriented, fair instead than “objective” and infused with feminist theory

Countering Online Abuse of Female Journalists - Reports

Female journalists and bloggers throughout the globe are disproportionally facing gender-related threats, harassment, and intimidation on the Internet compared to their male colleagues. The OSCE addresses this new challenge to freedom of expression and digital rights

The Cost of Freedom of Expression Thursday 28 January 2016 - Infographic

against journalists and impunity. The infographic presents data referring to the period 2006-2013, providing detailed information about the number of journalists killed, their professional position, gender

Transgender Europe - Guide for Journalists - Manuals

Transgender Europe’s Guide for Journalists is a practical guide on how to cover stories about trans people, or about issues which affect trans people, in a fair and respectful manner

Who makes the news? Global Media Monitoring Report 2015 - Reports

Since 1995, the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) at five-year intervals, has measured the pace of change in women’s media representation and participation. In 2015, evidence from over 100 countries confirms that progress has been glacially slow

European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) - Support Centres

ECPMF offers several support programmes for journalists at risk.

- Journalists-in-Residence programme: The ECPMF’s Journalists-in-Residence (JiR) programme offers temporary shelter for journalists facing harassment and intimidation as a direct result of their work. Journalists get the chance to rest and recuperate in a safe and discreet place, and also to continue their investigative work at their own pace and use their time in Leipzig for networking and finding solidarity. The JiR programme lasts for either three or up to six months, and includes a rent-free furnished apartment in Leipzig, as well as a monthly stipend to cover basic living costs. It also covers travel and visa expenses, health insurance, psychological counselling, and journalism-related training sessions on topics like digital security, mobile reporting and social media management. More info here .

- Legal support: ECPMF offers and coordinates legal support on matters related to free speech for individuals and organisations working in countries located geographically in Europe. More info here .

- Helpdesk: he Helpdesk is ECPMF central tool for responding to the individual needs of journalists at risk and under threat. ECPMF supports media professionals across Europe in order to find a place of safety in emergency cases and we assist exiled journalists in Germany, irrespective of their origin. More info here .

- Women’s Reporting Point: it aims to deepen a gender-specific aspect of the safety of journalists and encourages female media workers to report it if they are subjected to harassment or they witness it in their journalistic work. Reports received are given priority, treated confidentially and are only handled by women staff. More info here .

Peace Institute - Stakeholders

The Peace Institute is a private, independent, non-profit research institution founded in 1991 and situated in Ljubljana (Slovenia). Among the activities of the Institute there are scientific research, advocacy, interdisciplinary research, educational and awareness-raising activities the areas of social science, humanities, anthropology and law, in five thematic fields: human rights and minorities, politics, media, gender and cultural policies. The Peace Institute is member of the South East European Network for Professionalization of Media.

Media Development Foundation - Stakeholders

The Media Development Foundation (MDF), is a non-governmental organization based in Tbilisi (Georgia) aiming to support open and inclusive society, facilitating full integration of minorities, promoting gender equality, diversity and pluralism protect human rights, freedom of speech and expression by ensuring a free and professional media environment.