Harassment of female tech reporters has chilling effect on coverage

Margaret Sullivan of The Washington Post writes about online harassment of female technology reporters.

Sullivan writes, “Elisa Lees Muñoz, executive director of the International Women’s Media Foundation, told me last week that the purpose is ‘clearly an effort to silence women’s voices in public spaces.’

“Sadly, there is a chilling effect on journalism itself. Reporters may decide to pull back to protect themselves, asking whether a particular article is really worth the abuse it will bring. They may decide to leave the profession altogether.

“The foundation put out a statement in support of Lorenz: ‘Women journalists must be able to do their jobs without fear for their lives — we stand with Lorenz and call for an immediate end to this violent behavior.’

“With a coalition of other organizations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Center for Journalists, the foundation will launch a digital security “hub” to provide support and resources. It will be a place to turn to when the Internet gets especially ugly.

“Despite her harrowing experience, Wong knows she has been more fortunate than many others, because her employer has been supportive and because she is on staff. For freelancers, or journalists on short-term contracts, she noted, that protection often doesn’t exist.”

Read more here.