Taking a stand against online trolls
Say no to all forms of violence against women.
One of the unfortunate byproducts of the liberating impact of social media is the emergence of online trolls who harass or threaten violence towards public figures.
Women journalists - particularly those who express feminist views - are often the targets of vile and mysognistic online abuse.
For women for whom social media is a vital platform to assist them in their careers as writers or content producers, this is no different to other forms of violence and threats of violence against women in their workplace.
It’s a product of a culture of violence that threatens the safety of women journalists everywhere that MEAA is determined to stamp out.
On November 25, International Day for the Prevention of Violence Against Women, MEAA has asked all its members to join in condemning all forms of violence and harassment, but particularly the cowardly attacks on women in media on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms.
We believe it’s time to shine a light on violence and discrimination in our workplaces. That means continuing to improve our workplaces and speak out about safety and equality.
All journalists, media professionals and MEAA members have the right to do their work free from discrimination, sexism, intimidation and violence.
We say no to violence and threats of violence or harassment against our women members, whether in person, in print, on-air, online or on social media.
The Facts
Recent research from Monash University has found that:
• 57.3% of female journalists experience some form of sexual harassment, with most of it occurring in the last 8 years; (is this at work?)
• 67% of respondents thought men and women were not equally represented in senior/decision-making levels in newsrooms;
• In 2012, women occupied just 10% of senior management roles in Australian newsrooms.
Source: http://monash.edu/news/show/bad-news-for-women-in-media
Family violence leave is a must
As an industry, we can do better.
We will be working with all major news media employers in Australia to get them to agree to our model Family Violence Leave Clause in all MEAA collective agreements.
This clause gives all journalists 20days family violence leave each year, should journalists find themselves in a situation where they experience family or domestic violence.
Show your support
MEAA members can show their support by downloading this poster, writing a message on it and posting a photo to our Facebook wall, and with the tag #NotOnOurWatch.
