Journalists in the UK are self-censoring their reporting on topics such as rightwing protests, Donald Trump’s administration and trans issues due to growing concerns about personal safety, according to a government-backed investigation. The study, conducted by Alma Economics, surveyed 531 journalists and conducted 55 in-depth interviews, revealing that nearly half of respondents said safety concerns influenced their willingness to report on certain stories, while about a third had changed how or what they covered.
The investigation found that risks are being normalised within newsrooms, with journalists expected to be “thick-skinned” amid a polarised political environment. Female journalists faced the brunt of abuse, including gendered and sexualised harassment, explicit threats, and online comments focused on appearance. Common topics cited as causing safety concerns were anti-immigration protests, the Trump administration including protests against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and trans issues.
One journalist said, “There have definitely been times where there’s been a story that’s maybe in the public interest, where we have had frank discussions about whether it’s ‘worth it’.” Another reported looking over their shoulder to ensure they were not being followed or shouted at. The shift to online and video journalism has made journalists more identifiable, with one reporter noting that while the future of journalism is often discussed, the personal toll on journalists, especially women, is rarely addressed.
Instances of intimidation include journalists in Northern Ireland facing masked men while covering anti-immigration riots, and footage of a journalist at a protest being circulated in a Facebook group with efforts to identify and locate them. Another respondent described a female journalist subjected to misogynistic heckling at a “unite the kingdom” rally, with footage uploaded to social media. Despite these findings, participants acknowledged that the UK remains safer than many other parts of the world.
The investigation was ordered by ministers and is one of the most comprehensive assessments of journalist safety in the UK. Laura Davison, general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, said, “The research findings make for grim reading. Abuse should never be viewed as part of a journalist’s job. Not only does this behaviour have a hugely detrimental impact on people’s lives, it also has a chilling effect on public conversation.”
