Online Harassment of Journalists in Zimbabwe: Experiences, Coping Strategies and Implications

Ndlovu, Mphathisi; Khupe, Nkosini Aubrey

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-23625-9_6

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 28 publications

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“…This form of cyber-misogyny used to intimidate and silence female journalists is not unique to Namibian newsrooms (UNESCO, 2021). In a recent study on OGBV in Zimbabwean newsrooms, Ndlovu and Khupe (2023) have shown that female journalists occupy a vulnerable position in an online environment characterised by interactivity and proximity to news sources and audiences. They found that female journalists are "more exposed to online attacks such as gender trolling and cyberbullying" (Ndlovu and Khupe, 2023, p.95).…”

Section: Gender Trollingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Same threats, different platforms? Female journalists’ experiences of online gender-based violence in selected newsrooms in Namibia

Zviyita

Mare

2023

Journalism

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Concerns about the disproportionate levels of online gender-based abuse experienced by female journalists when compared to their male counterparts have attracted sizeable scholarly attention in the last few years. Extant studies have highlighted that female journalists experience online forms of harassment such as name calling, body shaming, trolling, verbal abuse, sextortion, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, manipulation of photos, cyberstalking, doxing, hacking, receiving unwanted, offensive sexually explicit emails or messages, and inappropriate advances on social media platforms, in the line of duty. Although these findings are true in some of the newsrooms in the global North, there is a disconcerting absence of systematic studies looking at the experiences of female journalists in selected newsrooms in Africa in general and Namibia in particular. This article seeks to fill this lacuna by empirically investigating the extent to which online gender-based violence is deep-seated social problem in selected Namibian newsrooms. It deploys the intersectional approach to analyze the online gender-based violence experienced by female journalists in Namibia. Drawing our data from interviews with female journalists in selected Namibian newsrooms, overall, our findings suggest that cases of online gender-based violence against female journalists are still negligible when compared to other contexts, it is happening, nonetheless. This emerging phenomenon is largely underreported. Furthermore, it is occurring in an environment devoid of legislative, institutional, and newsroom-specific mechanisms aimed at ensuring the safety of female journalists. Namibian female journalists are facing unique online gender-based violence, which contributes immensely towards self-censorship and retreating from the public sphere.

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Section: Gender Trollingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Same threats, different platforms? Female journalists’ experiences of online gender-based violence in selected newsrooms in Namibia

Zviyita

Mare

2023

Journalism

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Under Attack in the Cyber Battlefield: A Scoping Review of Journalists’ Experiences of Cyberharassment

Sammut,

Bezzina,

Scerri

2023

Journalism Practice

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Contending with Sexual Harassment: A Study of Southern African Female Journalists’ Experiences

Msimanga,

Tshuma,

Matsilele

et al. 2023

Journal of Communication Inquiry

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This paper seeks to contribute to the growing literature on sexual harassment of female journalists from the Global South more broadly and Southern Africa in particular. We selected three Southern African countries for this investigation: Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Namibia. Much of sub-Saharan Africa still experiences patriarchy that has proven to be resilient with misogynistic residue. Theoretically, the study utilizes the new institutionalism theory that deals with the socio-political environment within which news organizations are embedded and the postcolonial feminist theory. Primarily, this study uses the qualitative method of semi-structured interviews with 15 journalists across the three countries and offers a thematic analysis of the gathered data. Female journalists’ responses in the selected three countries reveal that they are facing sexual harassment in various forms including, both verbally and physically. The sexual harassment that female journalists are subjected to, we argue, is in part a result of inadequate policies and media regulatory bodies that can curb harassment.

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Online Harassment of Journalists in Zimbabwe: Experiences, Coping Strategies and Implications

Cited by 4 publications

References 28 publications

Same threats, different platforms? Female journalists’ experiences of online gender-based violence in selected newsrooms in Namibia

Same threats, different platforms? Female journalists’ experiences of online gender-based violence in selected newsrooms in Namibia

Under Attack in the Cyber Battlefield: A Scoping Review of Journalists’ Experiences of Cyberharassment

Contending with Sexual Harassment: A Study of Southern African Female Journalists’ Experiences

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