Cyberbullying

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is the latest union to raise concerns about online abuse or cyberbullying, which education unions have also highlighted as a problem in schools and colleges.

In May 2015, the NUJ reported the results of its survey into the extent of online abuse against journalists and revealed cases where reporters have feared for their personal safety, and that of their families, as a result of cyberbullying. The survey of the union’s membership in Scotland was carried out with the University of Strathclyde.

Respondents referred to death threats and the need to take additional security precautions when out and about and at home, and many spoke of damage to confidence and self-esteem and feelings of anger, stress and anxiety as a result of online abuse. Some of those reporting on contentious stories had experienced cyberbullying more than 50 times in a year and more than 80% said that the abuse extended beyond working hours. In some cases journalists retreated from using social media.

The main sources of cyberbullying were Twitter (in 65% of cases) and through comments after online articles or commentary. Twenty eight percent of respondents had been threatened with violence or serious harm to themselves and in five percent of cases the threats were also made to their families.

The abuse was political, sectarian, sexist, racist and homophobic, but in 80% of cases, respondents did not report it to the police and 40% did not report it to their employer.

NUJ Scottish organiser Paul Holleran said that the findings showed that there was an urgent need for a zero-tolerance approach to cyberbullying. The union plans to roll out the survey across its entire membership.

The problem of cyberbullying has also been highlighted by unions organising in schools and colleges. For example, the teachers’ union NASUWT described it as “a new tool of the bully”. It says the development of information communications technology (ICT) has seen a rapid increase in new forms of bullying behaviour and that with wider access to, and availability of, the internet, email and mobile telephones, “cyberbullying and associated threatening behaviour (cyber threats) are emerging as key challenges for schools and colleges...All schools and colleges should have in place disciplinary policies and procedures which address the problem of cyber bullying to protect pupils/students and staff, and to regulate the use of ICT equipment inside and outside the school or college.”