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Journalism in Transitional Context: Societal Hostility, Self-Censorship and the Expansion of “One Voice Journalism"

Dalia Elsheikh, Daniel Jackson, Nael Jebril

Journalism Practice, volume 19, issue 9 (2025), pp. 1921-1939

"The transformations in the media and political landscapes in Egypt over the last decade and their implications on media pluralism and freedom of expression are well documented. However, less is known about how Egyptian journalists themselves experience these changes; how their relationships with au ... more

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Freedom of Afghan Media: Challenges facing Afghan journalists in Afghanistan and abroad

Mujtaba Haris

Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) (2024), 38 pp.

"Erosion of Media Freedom in Afghanistan: Since the Taliban regained power in August 2021, media freedom in Afghanistan has drastically declined. Over half of the country's media outlets have closed, leading to widespread unemployment among journalists. The Taliban's media policies enforce strict ce ... nsorship, resulting in self-censorship and threats to journalists still working. As one journalist in Kabul said, "The media in Afghanistan is dead; we were forced out of our jobs, and those who remain face daily threats." Severe Content Censorship: The Taliban has imposed strict regulations on media content, banning any reports that contradict their interpretation of Islamic values or Afghan national interests. As a result, 95% of journalists surveyed in Afghanistan reported facing restrictions when attempting to document and broadcast their work. "We are no longer allowed to report on incidents involving the Taliban, especially when it comes to conflicts within their ranks," shared a journalist from Badakhshan. Gender-Based Discrimination and Exclusion: Female journalists have been systematically targeted, leading many to leave the profession. Women working in the media are subjected to strict limitations, such as being required to cover their faces while on air and being denied opportunities to work. This has effectively silenced female voices in Afghan media. Arbitrary Detention and Physical Abuse: The Taliban have used arbitrary detention and physical abuse as tools to suppress independent journalism. Journalists are often detained without charge, held in poor conditions, and subjected to physical abuse. "Many of us live in fear of being arrested without cause," said one journalist who had been detained. The report found that 73% of detained journalists reported experiencing physical abuse during their detention. Self-Censorship as a Survival Tactic: The pervasive atmosphere of fear and intimidation has led to widespread self-censorship among journalists, both within Afghanistan and in exile. This has resulted in a homogenized media landscape, with many journalists avoiding sensitive topics to protect themselves from potential repercussions. A journalist in Afghanistan said, "Many of us live in fear of being arrested without cause." (Key findings, page 6) more

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Patterns of Harassment in African Journalism

Lungile Augustine Tshuma, Trust Matsilele, Mbongeni Jonny Msimanga, Sadia Jamil (eds.)

New York: Routledge (2024), xvii, 251 pp.

"Drawing from case studies from selected African countries, an international team of authors offer a broad insight into the state of harassment across the continent, while building new theoretical perspectives that are also context-specific. The chapters bring previous theories and research up to da ... more

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“Journalists are Prepared for Critical Situations … but We are Not Prepared for This”: Empirical and Structural Dimensions of Gendered Online Harassment

Susana Sampaio-Dias, Maria João Silveirinha, Bibiana Garcez, Filipa Subtil, João Miranda, Carla Cerqueira

Journalism Practice, volume 18, issue 2 (2024), pp. 301-318

"This article discusses online harassment against women journalists exploring self-reported incidents, effects, and trust in safety mechanisms. Drawing on twenty-five semi-structured interviews of women journalists in Portugal, we use a feminist and critical realist framework to explore the causal s ... more

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Same threats, different platforms? Female journalists’ experiences of online gender-based violence in selected newsrooms in Namibia

Itai Zviyita, Admire Mare

Journalism, volume 25, issue 4 (2024), pp. 779-799

"Concerns about the disproportionate levels of online gender-based abuse experienced by female journalists when compared to their male counterparts have attracted sizeable scholarly attention in the last few years. Extant studies have highlighted that female journalists experience online forms of ha ... more

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Infrastructural platform violence: How women and queer journalists and activists in Lebanon experience abuse on WhatsApp

Martin J. Riedl, Azza El-Masri, Inga K. Trauthig, Samuel C. Woolley

New Media & Society (2024), 20 pp.

"Technology-facilitated abuse and violence disproportionately affect marginalized people. While researchers have explored this issue in the context of public-facing social media platforms, less is known about how it plays out on more private messaging apps. This study draws on in-depth interviews wi ... more

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Freedom of the Press, and Journalism Practices in Times of Uncertainty in the Case of Ethiopia

Mulatu Alemayehu Moges

Journalism Practice (2024), 19 pp.

"Ethiopia has been in a new transition since 2018 which resulted in changes in political arenas. In this period, the country has also been experiencing internal conflict and political instabilities. This article assesses how the political environment is convenient for the journalists to freely repor ... more

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The Cost of Dissent in a Governance System Characterized by ‘Political Marketplace': A Phenomenological Study of Independent Journalists in Ethiopia

Abdissa Zerai, Getachew Dinku, Desalegn Aynalem

In: Patterns of Harassment in African Journalism

Lungile Augustine Tshuma, Trust Matsilele, Mbongeni Jonny Msimanga, Sadia Jamil (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2024), pp. 158-185

"The chapter examines the cost of dissent in a governance system that is structured by ‘political marketplace.’ Informed by Alex de Waal ‘political marketplace’ conceptual framework and employing a phenomenological approach, the chapter chronicles the lived experiences of nine independent jo ... more

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Coping into Self-Censorship: Exploring Coping Strategies of Journalists Working in South Sudan

John Gai Alier, Samuel Kazibwe, Fred Kakooza

In: Patterns of Harassment in African Journalism

Lungile Augustine Tshuma, Trust Matsilele, Mbongeni Jonny Msimanga, Sadia Jamil (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2024), pp. 203-222

"Local journalists in South Sudan have faced enormous threats from security groups, politicians and powerful individuals in the country. These threats have made the work of the press difficult. Despite the precarious security situation, some journalists have had the courage to continue working in So ... more

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“There Were No Repercussions, Nothing, Life Continued”: Experiences of Harassment by Female Journalists

Shepherd Mpofu, Trust Matsilele, Trevor Hlungwani

In: Patterns of Harassment in African Journalism

Lungile Augustine Tshuma, Trust Matsilele, Mbongeni Jonny Msimanga, Sadia Jamil (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2024), pp. 15-27

"The chapter explores the challenges associated with harassment for entry-level to mid-career journalists across South Africa’s hybrid media platforms. The study employed a qualitative methodology consisting of semi-structured interviews with 12 entry-level and mid-career journalists with industry ... more

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Unraveling the Digital Threat: Exploring the Impact of Online Harassment on South Korean Journalists’ Professional Roles

Na Yeon Lee, Ahran Park

Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, volume 101, issue 2 (2024), pp. 529-551

"This research examines whether and to what extent journalists are harassed online and the effects of online harassment on their professional roles. The study classifies online harassment against journalists into five types: insults, threats, privacy intrusion, sexual assault, and cyber-hacking. The ... more

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Digital Scarlet Letter on Journalists: Weaponized Harassment Against Journalists in South Korea

Na Yeon Lee, Ahran Park

Journalism Practice, volume 18, issue 2 (2023), pp. 319-336

"This article seeks to contribute to the existing research on journalist harassment by examining the experiences of Korean journalists who have faced online harassment. While extensive research has been conducted on this issue, there is a need for comparative studies to understand the unique pattern ... more

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Beyond Self-Censorship: Hong Kong’s Journalistic Risk Culture under the National Security Law

Francis Lee

China Journal, volume 90 (2023), pp. 129-153

"Professional and liberal-oriented news media in Hong Kong have been under severe political pressure since the establishment of the National Security Law in 2020. Journalists now have to navigate a more dense and uncertain legal minefield. Self-censorship has intensified. This article argues that se ... more

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Media Capture Strategies in an Islamic Authoritarian Context: The Case of the Taliban

Faisal Karimi

Human Rights Institute (2023), 43 pp.

"This paper explores the Taliban government's media capture strategies since retaking the country on August 15, 2021, and how journalists and media outlets have responded to these strategies. In particular, it focuses on the Taliban government's approach to the media, given the recent political tran ... more

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Occupational Hazards: Individual and Professional Factors of Why Journalists Become Victims of Online Hate Speech

Magdalena Obermaier

Journalism Studies, volume 24, issue 7 (2023), pp. 838-856

"Journalists are regularly exposed to online hate speech their profession. Because discrimination often harms targets and can prompt self-censorship in journalistic content, undermining journalism’s public duty, it is essential to understand factors explaining why journalists become victims of onl ... more

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Using Journalism for Self-Protection: Profession-Specific and Journalistic Measures and Strategies for Countering Violence and Impunity in Mexico and Honduras

Tamsin Mitchell

Journalism Studies, volume 24, issue 7 (2023), pp. 896-915

"In Mexico and Honduras, journalists face violence from state and non-state actors and almost complete impunity. Given a lack of effective state protection, some resort to alternative means of (self-)protection and justice-seeking. Via analysis of 67 interviews with journalists and protection actors ... more

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“I thought You Are Beautiful”: Uganda Women Journalists’ Tales of Mob Violence on Social Media

Gerald Walulya, Florence Namasinga Selnes

Digital Journalism, volume 11, issue 10 (2023), pp. 1962-1981

"This article contributes to our understanding of the notion of mob censorship from the Ugandan context by examining the nature and consequences of harassment targeting women journalists on social media. Drawing on research about online harassment and censorship, we link mob violence in physical spa ... more

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The Evolution of Self-Censorship in Hong Kong Online Journalism: Influences from Digitalization and the State

Alex Zhi-Xiong Koo

International Journal of Press/Politics, volume 29, issue 1 (2023), pp. 143-163

"Studies about media self-censorship typically focus on its mechanism in traditional newsroom settings. But how media self-censorship may evolve in online journalism has remained largely unexplored. Using Hong Kong as a case, I examine the digital evolution of media self-censorship in a unique non-d ... more

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Preparing to Publish: How Journalists Negotiate Content Restrictions in Semi-Authoritarian States

Ruth Moon

International Communication Gazette, volume 85, issue 2 (2023), pp. 120-140

"Journalists act strategically in response to their political environments, using practices like self-censorship to avoid negative repercussions from powerful actors. But what does self-censorship look like in practice? Grounded in theories of policy response and media sociology, this study uses jou ... more

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Preparing to publish: How journalists negotiate content restrictions in semi-authoritarian states

Ruth Moon

International Communication Gazette, volume 85, issue 2 (2023), pp. 120-140