A report titled ‘Hostile Bytes – a study of online violence against women journalists’ launched by Media Matters for Democracy (MMfD) says that 95 percent of women journalists feel online violence has an impact on their professional choices, while 77 percent self-censor as a way to counter online violence.

It also says that 105 out of 110 women believe online violence impacts the mental health of female journalists.

“The sexualised and personal nature of abuse directed towards them not only affects them on a personal level, but also affects journalism in general that is heavily occupied by men leaving no room for women’s voices. In times when their voices should be amplified, hate campaigns against women journalists is a very well-thought out strategy to ensure systemic oppression of women in professional spaces,” says Hija Kamran, programs manager at MMfD and the author of the study.

For more details about the report, read this Twitter thread:

Hi, I authored a research "Hostile Bytes" that looks at the experiences of women journalists facing and trying to combat #DigitalAttacks directed at them as they do their job. The findings are pretty shocking. A thread… or as Jack Dorsey says, 🧵#IDEI2019 #EndImpunity https://t.co/tXgPdcIEDl

— Hija Kamran (@hijakamran) November 1, 2019