20.03.2023 Law in media
Harassment of Female Journalists in Poland. Zamenhof Institute Report
RINF
Over half of female journalists have experienced harassment. The report and a dedicated website for the project, offtherecord.zamenhof.pl, present real, anonymous stories of harassed female journalists, along with numerical data documenting the scale of the issue.
Poczytaj artykuł
w wydaniu polskim
photo: Anete Lusina/CC0/Pexels- 59% of surveyed female journalists have suffered sexual harassment at least once
- 39% experienced unwanted touching or attempted touching, causing discomfort
- 26% were touched in an unambiguously sexual manner against their will
- 14% faced suggestions of benefits in exchange for sexual submission
- 13% were subjected to attempts to force sex or other sexual acts
- 5% experienced sexual intercourse or other sexual acts against their will.
The report shows that the perpetrators of sexual harassment in journalism are most often superiors or individuals in higher positions than the victim—this is the case in 65% of incidents. This publication is the result of one and a half years of work by institute experts and researchers, along with specialists from Kantar Public, who helped conduct the survey on a sample of 268 female journalists in Poland.
- In this project, we wanted to give women a voice and, on their behalf, present stories of harassment that they had never spoken about before. This is the first study on sexual harassment in Poland, which we hope will bring attention to the problem, spark a substantive discussion, and prompt publishers to develop standards for handling such situations - comments Nikola Bochyńska, board member of the Zamenhof Institute and co-author of the report.
- The #Offtherecord project creates a space for journalists to share the taboo of discrimination and sexual harassment, a safe space they haven’t had before. I am deeply grateful for their courage and for all the support we received in creating this project - adds Natalia Żaba, co-author of the report.
The report`s authors also questioned major Polish media companies about their procedures for handling harassment cases in the newsroom. Only a few media companies provided the Zamenhof Institute with policies applicable to their employees.
- We were surprised that so many large media companies, including public broadcasters, completely ignore this problem and lack internal procedures allowing, for example, anonymous reporting of sexual harassment or protecting the harassed individual - says Paweł Prus, president of the Zamenhof Institute and co-author of the project. - Our research shows that one in three harassed journalists changed jobs because of this. Publishers who ignore or don’t want to recognize the problem of sexual harassment lose valuable employees as a result.
The stories of journalists described in the report can be explored in full on the platform offtherecord.zamenhof.pl and the complete report can be downloaded: “Off The Record: Sexual Harassment of Female Journalists in Poland”.
The report’s authors are: Nikola Bochyńska, Paweł Prus, and Natalia Żaba, with co-authors Piotr Drabik, Bogna Kietlińska, Urszula Krassowska (Kantar Public), and Martyna Mucha (Kantar Public).
Project partners include: Kantar Public, Havenocode.io, Loewen Legal Hub, Sexed.PL, Propsy PR, and Tech to the Rescue. Media partners are Forbes Women and Newsweek Polska.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
New articles in section Law in media
Phishing in the Cryptocurrency Industry. Fake Recruitments Steal Data
Piotr Rozmiarek
Security researchers have detected a social engineering campaign targeting job seekers in the Web3 industry. The attack aims to conduct fake job interviews via a meeting application that installs information-stealing malware.
SLAPP Lawsuits in Europe. How Journalists and Activists Are Silenced
Krzysztof Fiedorek
The number of strategic lawsuits aimed at intimidating journalists, activists, and civil society organizations is increasing in Europe. According to the CASE SLAPPs Report 2024, as many as 1,049 such cases were identified between 2010 and 2023.
Why do People Spread Disinformation? Results of DigiPatch Research
Ewelina Krajczyńska-Wujec
People strongly driven by the need for power are more likely to share posts on social media, including disinformation. Power itself, like the need to gain prestige and recognition, is not associated with the frequency of spreading false information, according to research involving Professor Małgorzata Kossowska from the Jagiellonian University.
See articles on a similar topic:
Local Media in Poland - Freedom of Speech
Bartłomiej Dwornik
Abuse of freedom of speech is as common as imposing muzzles on journalists. Although the Press Law and the Constitution guarantee this fundamental freedom to everyone.
Hate in the Polish Internet. IRCenter Study
Krzysztof Fiedorek
The proportion of hate speech victims is inversely proportional to the age of internet users. The study authors point out that this is directly influenced by the fact that older generations are instilled with the principles of respectful discussion and use the internet less frequently.
Data for Benefits: What Encourages Sharing Personal Information Online
Krzysztof Fiedorek
Most Poles are aware of the value of their personal data and do not share it without reason. However, one in five is willing to share data in exchange for benefits, and 16% of us do not remember if we have done so. These are the results of a study conducted by ChronPESEL.pl and the National Debt Register under the patronage of the UODO.
Local Media in Poland - The Press Owner Influence
Bartłomiej Dwornik
The editor-in-chief, according to the provisions of the Press Law, should be responsible for the content of the materials prepared by the editorial team as well as for the editorial and financial matters of the editorial office. This is the theory.
