Journalists write about violence, but rarely about the violence they themselves experience

After rejecting a colleague's offer of sexual intercourse, the respondent in a survey we are conducting as part of the project "Ending workplace harassment in the media industry in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina - Women in the Media," experienced various forms of psychological harassment and emotional blackmail in the workplace. She did not turn to anyone for help. Neither did more than a hundred female journalists from newsrooms in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Preliminary results of a survey on the status of female journalists, editors, and media workers in the four countries included in the study, conducted by Mediacentar Sarajevo in collaboration with Zavod Krog, Trade Union of Croatian Journalists, Trade Union of Culture, Art and Media "Nezavisnost" in Serbia, and Slovenian Association of Journalists, show that every second respondent has experienced one or more forms of sexual harassment, including comments about female sexuality that were unwanted and made them feel uncomfortable, frequent stereotypical and sexist remarks about women being inferior to men, incompetent, unreasonable, as well as comments that they are "unsuitable for sports journalism."

Half of the perpetrators are colleagues from newsrooms

Excessive touching, taking advantage of work parties for inappropriate kisses, sending photos with sexual content under the impression that it is a joke, mocking and psychological harassment if rejection is shown, comments about appearance and buttocks as an everyday occurrence in the business environment, addressing someone as " darling" in front of colleagues and in business situations, attempted rape and rape.

These are just a few examples from media newsrooms in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina that were collected during the research.

More than half of such cases come from colleagues in the newsrooms, and a third from superiors. They also hear similar comments from people passing by when they are out in the field (about 20 percent of cases), while online platforms are used much more for sexual comments. However, it is important to note that the results of the questionnaire show that their number is higher in newsrooms than elsewhere.

How do newsrooms respond?

The results of the questionnaire also show that in most cases, the media do not implement any preventive mechanisms against sexual harassment in the workplace. Female journalists are generally unaware of preventive mechanisms or measures for reporting sexual harassment (if these even exist). in case they experience any form of harassment. Where such mechanisms do exist, more than half of the respondents are not sure whether they also apply to sexual harassment. The vast majority of harassment cases are not reported to anyone. Fear of losing an already insecure and underpaid job, fear of retaliation, distrust that they will receive any support from the newsroom – these are just some of the reasons why the media in these countries continue to remain silent about these serious forms of human rights violations.

The problem of normalizing harassment

Tjaša Turnšek, a researcher from Slovenia, highlights the phenomenon of normalizing harassment in the media.

"Most female journalists do not report cases of harassment because they consider it normal and socially acceptable behavior, while at the same time there is a visible lack of trust in existing protection mechanisms, which are slow and bureaucratic. These findings clearly point to the need to strengthen procedures, introduce anonymous reporting, and create a culture of openness in newsrooms," says Turnšek.

Perhaps this mistrust is best illustrated by the message from one of the respondents: "Never discuss this with your colleagues at work, because you never know whose side they are on. It is better to share this with family and friends outside the workplace."

One reason for this may be that, even in the small number of reported cases, nothing happened in three quarters of them. Only in four of the 133 cases were disciplinary proceedings initiated, in 14 cases internal proceedings or mediation, and six cases ended up in court. However, it is somewhat encouraging that most of the proceedings that were initiated were concluded in favor of the person who reported and initiated the proceedings, or that the proceedings are still ongoing.

We developed the methodology for the regional study very thoroughly, consulting with media experts, lawyers, and experts in the field of responding to violence against women. We will use the results of the research as a starting point for advocating better mechanisms and responses to this deeply rooted "trap" in the media profession. The research is being conducted in several phases. This text was written at the conclusion of a survey in which nearly 600 female journalists, editors, and other media professionals participated.

Based on article by Selma Zulić Šiljak (Mediacentar Sarajevo), you can read the entire article here.

This text was prepared as part of the project "Ending workplace harassment in the media industry in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina - Women in the Media" with the financial support of the European Union.

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