United Kingdom: CFWIJ condemns the sexist online attacks against Natalie Higgins

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April 13, 2021, Yorkshire- Last month, journalist Natalie Higgins opened up about the vicious online trolling that she has endured since entering the journalism industry. Natalie spoke about the sexual nature of the comments and the absence of any support from the social media platform despite several complaints. CFWIJ stands with the journalist in the face of such hate and hostility. 

23-year-old Natalie Higgins is an emerging voice in the UK media landscape, and already she has faced online attacks and messages detailing sexually violent scenes. In a recent interview with a UK-based news organization, Natalie shared her initial shock the first few times she was targeted with such comments. “Where does that come from and why does someone think that that’s okay?” she said in response to a deeply troubling sexually explicit comment. 

Natalie believes she is an easy target for people who are unhappy with the news cycle or certain political developments. She consequently becomes a casualty of the shoot-the-messenger approach employed by online trolls. Although she understands why she faces these online assaults, the journalist does not underestimate the threat they hold to her well-being. Natalie shared that despite reporting several comments and tweets from said trolls, social media platform Twitter never really took significant action. The tweets are still posted publicly, according to Natalie. The journalist has not yet approached law enforcement agencies regarding the matter. According to her, there are far too many bot accounts and malicious tweets that she “would not even know where to begin” if she went to the police. In a tweet she posted, she spoke of the attacks faced by women journalists and the harrowing experiences they endure while doing their job.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is deeply concerned about the escalating violence targeting young women journalists. Natalie is a fresh college graduate and has already faced such vitriol online. We condemn the online attacks against her and urge social media platforms to ensure women journalists are not subjected to such hate online.