A government-backed investigation into the safety of journalists in the UK has found that many are self-censoring their reporting on topics such as rightwing protests, Donald Trump's administration, and trans issues due to growing fears for their personal safety. The study, conducted by Alma Economics, surveyed 531 journalists and conducted 55 in-depth interviews, revealing a widespread belief that abuse linked to reporting has increased, particularly online.
Self-censorship and normalised risks
Hundreds of journalists anonymously reported increasing nervousness over their security. Some said they had avoided or altered coverage on certain subjects because of intimidation, leading to what the report describes as “a narrowing of the public conversation”. Newsrooms were accused of normalising the risks, treating the increase in hostility as inevitable given the polarised political environment, with journalists expected to be “thick-skinned”.
One journalist said: “There have definitely been times where there’s been a story that’s maybe in the public interest, maybe worth reporting on, where we have had frank discussions about whether it’s ‘worth it’.” Another added: “I was definitely looking over my shoulder and making sure I wasn’t being followed and making sure that people weren’t going to start shouting things at me.”
Gender-based harassment and specific topics
Female journalists faced the brunt of abuse, describing gendered and sexualised harassment, explicit threats, inappropriate messages, and online comments focused on appearance. Common topics causing safety concerns included rightwing anti-immigration protests, the Trump administration and protests against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as well as trans issues.
“Anti-immigration protests were most widely referenced by journalists, both regarding the in-person risks of attending the marches and the backlash to any subsequent reporting,” the investigation found.
Physical intimidation and online targeting
There were accounts of journalists in Northern Ireland facing intimidation from masked men while covering anti-immigration riots, disclosed to the UK’s National Union of Journalists. In another case, footage of a journalist covering an anti-immigration protest was circulated in a Facebook group, with people working together to identify and locate them. One respondent described seeing a female journalist subjected to misogynistic heckling at a “unite the kingdom” rally, with the footage later uploaded to social media.
Impact on reporting and press freedom
Almost half of those surveyed said safety concerns influenced their willingness to report on certain stories, while about a third had changed how or what they covered. The shift to online and video journalism made journalists more identifiable. “Journalists used to be much more anonymous,” said one reporter. “Now, you’re expected to be live, presenting TikToks all the time … People talk about all sorts of things about like: ‘What’s the future of journalism?’ and ‘How can we adapt?’ But very rarely is it discussed, ‘What does that take from us?’ And especially from female journalists.”
Participants acknowledged that the UK remained a safe place to work as a journalist compared with other parts of the world. However, they said risks had intensified over time, driven by “declining public trust, narratives portraying the media as ‘fake news’, and blurred boundaries between journalists and the public” – meaning the rise of “citizen journalists” with no journalistic training but large online audiences.
Responses from NUJ and government
Laura Davison, the NUJ’s general secretary, 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 journalists’ ability to do their jobs and freedom of the press. It’s also time for social media companies to finally recognise their responsibility in preventing the abuse and harassment.”
A Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson said the government was working with the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists to tackle harassment and threats. “It is crucial to create the conditions in which reporters feel supported and protected so that they can focus on telling the stories that matter most,” they said.
