Journalists fear threat of violence from far-right — survey

One female journalist said she often brought a male colleague with her when covering anti-immigrant protests or incidents, as she often felt 'discomfort and intimidation' at them, including sexist remarks. File picture: Collins

Some journalists believe far-right groups are “more likely” to cross the threshold of making threats to violently attacking them, according to new research.

While many reporters surveyed said threats were part of the job, some of the journalists felt the “norms had shifted” towards actual violence.

New research, conducted among journalists on both sides of the border, reveals heightened dangers to female journalists, with threats often of a “sexualised nature”.

The report, entitled The Role of Crime and Security Journalism in Irish Democracy, was conducted by Cian Ó Concubhair, assistant professor of criminal justice at Maynooth University, and Glory Anumudu, a graduate of law and criminology at Maynooth.

It is thought to be the first research of its type in Ireland and received the assistance of Olga Cronin, head of policy at the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.

“A number of participants described a recent change of the perceived nature of threat posed to journalists with the rise of far-right groups across the island,” states the report.

While many participants who received threats from non-State actors appeared to treat it as a normal part of their job, there was a perception among others that the norms had shifted.

It adds: “Several participants expressed a belief that far-right actors would be more likely to cross the threshold of threats and carry out a violent attack on journalists.” 

One female journalist said she often brought a male colleague with her when covering anti-immigrant protests or incidents, as she often felt “discomfort and intimidation” at them, including sexist remarks.

More broadly, most female journalists interviewed said crime reporting in Ireland was “highly gendered”, including “deeply sexist interactions” with male colleagues and policing sources.

Mr Ó Concubhair said there was a view among female journalists that crime journalism was a “bit of a boy’s club” and said the study heard some “really shocking” examples of sexist behaviour, including from police officers.

Ms Cronin said none of the recommendations made by the Murray judicial report in 2017 to strengthen legal protections for journalists in terms of police applications to access information about confidential sources had been implemented.

She said the current draft of the Government’s Garda Síochána Powers Bill provides for gardaí to seek a court order to search the premises and devices of a journalist without the journalists or their legal representatives being notified and able to challenge the application in court.

Journalists could only do so after the authorisation was given and police had already accessed devices, she said.

Ms Cronin said this was in contrast to the regime in the North and predicted it could invite legal challenges.

Under the bill, gardaí could potentially require journalists to provide passwords, Pins, or biometric data for devices subject to search warrant — and that failure to do so could be a criminal offence.

The report said a "surprising and unexpected finding" of the study involved the "apparently routine practice" of gardaí interviewing journalists to try and identify confidential sources in the organisation.