Vast majority of women journalists in Ukraine facing online threats

Author Moonshot.news

Published on: 14/05/2025

Most women journalists in Ukraine have faced various types of online violence. The attacks were directed both at the journalists personally and at their media outlets. The intensity of online violence depends on the topic covered by the media outlet or the journalist as well as the journalist’s visibility, a survey by non-profit organisation Women in Media shows. The survey is part of a UNESCO project.

“This creates a threatening situation with possible conscious or unconscious self-censorship or even abandonment of the profession. This makes it particularly important to recognise online violence and find the most effective means to combat it.”

“The risk of self-censorship due to gendered attacks can have particularly severe consequences in Ukraine, where the vast majority of journalists are women. In this context, gendered self-censorship creates a profoundly chilling effect, further exacerbated by the ongoing war, where the public relies heavily on accurate information and facts”, the report says.

Key findings:

• 81 % experienced some type of online violence.
• Most often, the attacks lasted for a week. However, long-lasting online violence, for a month or over a year, was also quite common.
• Online violence usually targeted simultaneously the media worker and the media outlet itself.
• Among the most common consequences of these attacks, women media workers most frequently report a deterioration in their psychological wellbeing and mental health. The second most common consequence is reduced work capacity, and the third one is self-censorship regarding certain topics. 
• 14% of respondents who had experienced online violence reported that threats to them had moved from the digital space to the physical world.
• The most common forms of online violence against Ukrainian women media workers include misogynistic and sexist speech as well as defamation aimed at harming the journalist’s professional reputation.
• Respondents also experienced gender-based trolling (32%), disinformation (27%), cyberstalking (22%), doxing (18%), threats of sexual violence (16%), impersonation (14%), attacks on family members (14%), image distortion (12%), and sextortion / revenge porn (6%), which significantly affected their safety and mental wellbeing.
• Respondents identified a need for additional awareness-raising initiatives about online violence and ways to combat it.
• Almost one in five women journalists targeted by online violence turned to the police or other law enforcement agencies. However, the respondents reported that there was no subsequent investigation or punishment of perpetrators.
• The low number of convictions in cases concerning cyberviolence against women, particularly women journalists, cannot be put down solely to the lack of legislative protection. Many survivors fear condemnation and victimisation, and therefore, they do not seek help or report facts of violence.