Newsroom Protocols

Having newsroom protocols in place that address issues of online violence can be an important step to better protecting staff. These protocols should include guidance on how to better protect against online harassment as well as steps to take during attacks. Newsrooms should also consider creating effective and transparent reporting mechanisms as well as procedures for offering psychosocial support.

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Steps to Take

Creating policies and procedures

Having policies in place to protect and support staff when it comes to online violence is important. This will help you and your newsroom to better prepare for online attacks as well as show you how to respond when an attack happens. See the additional resources section below for sample policies and how to create them.

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Make policies accessible to staff

Once procedures and policies have been created, they should be shared widely with staff and freelancers and made accessible via the media outlet intranet. For newsrooms without an intranet, policies and procedures should be kept in clearly labeled folders in the media outlet’s cloud account. 

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Build online harassment into risk assessments

Planning for online violence can help your journalists better protect against it. Completing a risk assessment that includes questions on online abuse and digital safety before starting a story will allow all newsroom staff to be more secure. More information on risk assessments, including sample templates, can be found in the additional resources section below.

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