World Press Freedom Day

  In a world where women and marginalized groups have made hard-won gains in public representation, a coordinated backlash is underway. Digital platforms – once tools of empowerment – are increasingly weaponized to silence, intimidate, and discredit women, particularly those in media, politics, and activism. Gendered disinformation, cyberviolence, and defamation campaigns are rising sharply, often backed by powerful political and economic forces. These attacks are not isolated; they reflect a broader, systemic effort to reinforce patriarchal control and reverse the progress toward equality. This chapter outlines the links between online and offline violence, the erosion of journalistic independence, and the misuse of laws to restrict women’s freedom of expression. It also calls for urgent action: from strengthening legal protections to reforming media structures and ensuring women’s access to justice and leadership.  What is at stake is freedom for women, for truth, for us all...

From 3 to 4 May at the The Holistic Safety Clinic. Come get one-on-one consultation from experts on digital safety, physical safety, and psychosocial wellbeing. The consultations can be related to specific incidents or done as a proactive measure. This clinic is organized by IREX. Come see us at our table and sign up for sessions! (location at GAM will be provided).

The latest UNESCO World Trends Report Insights discussion paper “ Threats that Silence: Trends in the Safety of Journalists ” highlights how surveillance and hacking are compromising journalism . This was vividly shown in exposés by investigative journalists and researchers, giving rise to UN human rights experts calling for a temporary global moratorium on the sale and transfer of surveillance technology.  The growing sophistication and undetectability of mal- and spyware and their increasing use against journalists and human rights defenders by state and non-state actors, endanger free and independent journalism.  Surveillance can expose information gathered by journalists including from whistle-blowers, and violates the principle of source protection, which is universally considered a prerequisite for freedom of the media and is enshrined in UN Resolutions.  Surveillance may also harm the safety of journalists by disclosing sensitive private information which could be...