Three in Four Women Journalists Face Online Violence, With AI Fuelling Threats, Warns UNESCO

Nearly three-quarters of women journalists have faced violence online, with artificial intelligence now being used to dangerously amplify threats ranging from deepfakes to doxxing, UNESCO has warned.

The UN's cultural agency revealed that one in four women journalists surveyed had received physical or death threats, as it launched a new campaign to combat the escalating abuse.

This online violence, which includes gendered disinformation, surveillance, and targeted harassment, is designed to silence and discredit female reporters. Researchers warn these digital attacks are increasingly spilling over into the physical world, with a recent study finding 14% of women journalists faced real-world violence linked to online threats.

The warning comes ahead of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on Sunday (November 2).

The problem is global. In Ukraine, a survey found 81% of women journalists had experienced online violence, while in Zimbabwe, the figure was 63%. The threats often extend to family members and escalate into offline harassment.

UNESCO's campaign, "CTRL + ALT + MUTE," aims to counter the rise of AI-facilitated abuse through policy action and advocacy.

"As generative AI grows more powerful, so do the digital tools to silence women journalists, and therefore all women," the agency said in a statement, arguing that ensuring the safety of women in media is essential to defending freedom of expression for all.

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