Reaching out to eyewitnesses via private messaging could minimise the risks of threats and attacks on social platforms
Most newsrooms have developed social media newsgathering practices, which require journalists to use a standard approach for requesting permission to use eyewitness media, such as including the crediting policy and the name of the outlet they work for. But reporters, particularly female journalists, can still often be the target of online abuse.
In this article republished on First Draft, Esther Chan, journalist at Storyful, recounts her experience of being the target of such abuse when she reached out to people on Twitter during the Finsbury Park attacks in London.
She also provides some advice for newsrooms to protect their female staff on social media, such as encouraging them to use a company account as opposed to their personal one, and to contact people via private messaging whenever possible to minimise the risk of abuse.
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