Toronto Star Public Editor: We need to stand together to fight ugly online abuse

What steps could newsrooms take to help create safe digital spaces for women?

By Kathy English for the Toronto Star

What if all the women who have faced bullying and harassment in online spaces stood together and decided we will not take it any more?

What if all the women — and men — who know that this “cyber misogyny” is wrong stood with them in protest and solidarity?

What if together we found a way to name and shame those “deplorables” who harass and aim to intimidate women in online public platforms?

What if this pressing problem was truly taken seriously? Could we finally find solutions that go beyond simply telling women to ignore online hate?

It is depressing that in 2017 we must still ask these “what if” questions, that we are still seeking solutions to the soul-destroying reality of online harassment of women. Numerous studies over the past decade have made clear this is a critical problem, with the most vile personal attacks directed at racialized women.

Continue reading this story on the Toronto Star website, where it was first published.

Mitchell Thompson