Canada: Online Violence Against Women Journalists Of Color Rages On, Erica Ifill Latest Target Of Organized Trolls

Threats
Written By 
Location: Canada, Toronto
Date: August 23, 2022

Journalist, economist and anti-racism consultant Erica Ifill is the latest target of nationalist right-wing rhetoric that has flooded Canada’s digital space in recent years. The Hill Times columnist is among scores of women journalists of color braving visceral, racially charged and deeply sexist online hate perpetuated by organized trolls. Despite several complaints to the local authorities and social media regulators, racially motivated digital attacks on women journalists in the country have become commonplace.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism has repeatedly raised alarm over the impunity with which perpetrators of online violence operate in the country. We underscore, unchecked online violence swiftly translates into threats in the physical world. 

Erica took to Twitter earlier this week to share screenshots of the kind of hate mail she is being regularly sent online. The sender referred to her as “token hire” based on her race, weaponized both her gender and racial identity against her and resorted to vile sexualized abuse and threats to perpetuate hate against her. 

 

The email  mentioned journalists Lisa LaFlamme and Rachel Gilmore as well. The former, a veteran journalist and Canada’s top news anchor, was recently dismissed allegedly over ageist and sexist reasons while the latter is a regular target of organized online trolls seeking to discredit her journalistic work. 

"This week, the two most victimized superstars of victimhood and importance are the glorious Rachel Gilmore, the new superstar of whatever happened to Sabba or Apefill and her and her and Rachel! Of course, the other is the glorious goddess of glamor, the amazing Lisa LaFlamme, the Marxist victim of all Naziness and the new glorious Joan of Arc, who cannot have her hair complimented enough! Her beautiful, beautiful old white lady hair and enhanced victim status! Oh, man. You poor Wig Chimps. You have our sympathy. We're still delighted you're going to be well kicked into the margins and forgotten; you can pull each other's wigs out in McDonald's or whatever your natural untrained wig chimp behavior, But we see you, we agree, you were right. In the Canadian journalism world, the whitey do", wrote the sender of hate mail to Erica. 

The CFWIJ has extensively reported on online violence against women journalists, especially those belonging to racial, gender and sexual minorities. The increasingly hostile digital space in Canada has sparked widespread condemnations from both local and international journalistic bodies, such as the Canadian Association of Journalists, the Canadian Anti-Hate Network and the CFWIJ. However, the authorities have yet to effectively respond to the threats faced routinely by women journalists of color. Since we first highlighted this issue in Canada in 2021, it is apparent that online violence has only become more and more rampant. The indifference and negligence shown by both the Canadian authorities and social media conglomerates has evidently given room to perpetrators of online hate to carry on without fear of repercussions. It also does not go amiss that the language adopted by organized online trolls aims to erase voices of women journalists of color from mainstream media and the public sphere at large. 

Over the past couple of years, a stark reminder of digital vulnerabilities for those holding power accountable has unfolded in Canada. According to our findings, the country proved to be the most hostile virtual space for women journalists in 2021. In late September, over 20 women journalists of color were bombarded with vile and threatening emails after right-wing politician Maxime Bernier tweeted a provocative message to his followers. The targeted journalists included Saba Eitizaz, Ashleigh-Rae Thomas, Shireen Ahmed, Angela Sterritt, among others. 

Displeased by their coverage of his work, and their line of inquiry, Bernier encouraged his supporters to “play dirty”, sparking a violent and targeted harassment campaign. He even went so far as to publish the email addresses of some of the journalists online, exposing them to online abuse. Although Bernier’s tweets were later taken down by Twitter because they violated community standards, they paved the way for hostile attacks against journalists. An extensive organized online hate campaign persisted against different women journalists of color for nearly a month. Read our detailed coverage here. 

Given the lack of due support by social media platforms and Canadian authorities, the women journalists targeted by Bernier and his supporters continue to fend off online attacks till date. The perpetrators of online violence against women journalists, mainly associated with right-wing nationalistic groups including anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers, have added more targets on their hit list. 

On August 25, 2022, after local news organizations co-signed a letter addressed to the police and federal ministers calling for proper channels to take action against online hate and harassment, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took notice of the escalating digital hostilities against journalists, recognizing it as a pattern of harassment for the first time. “The pattern of harassment of journalists is incredibly alarming and completely unacceptable. This type of behavior has no place in our society. No journalist should ever be threatened for doing their job,” he wrote on Twitter.

 
 
 
 
 

The prime minister’s recognition of online hate as a pattern of harassment is welcome. It did not go amiss, however, that this recognition comes too late and is not enough in terms of tackling online violence. Nor did it acknowledge that women journalists of color and those belonging to other marginalized groups based on their racial, gender or sexual identity are the more frequent recipients of such attacks.

“Thanks for officially acknowledging that this is a pattern. Should be used when the police continues to see threats as "isolated incidents".Would have liked acknowledgement that its racialized & women journalists being targeted the worst. Hoping real conversations are happening,” noted Saba Eitizaz. 

Other politicians too spoke up in support of women journalists of color. “Recently, it has come to my attention that female journalists, primarily BIPOC journalists, who are simply doing their jobs have been subjected to abuse & violence that include rape and death threats. This violence and abuse must stop,” said MP Leah Gazan. 

The widespread bullying and abuse of journalists is not only unethical but also criminal. Especially when those messages are based on hateful rhetoric targeting the race, gender and sexual orientation of the journalists. Not only is it an attack on democratic principles and the free press but also puts at risk the multiculturalism that the country boasts of.

The CFWIJ spoke to journalist Elisha Dacey about what occurred. "This is a symptom of a larger issue and that is misogyny and toxic masculinity on the internet," she said. 

When asked what kind of response she would like to see, Elisha said, "This is the result of 'fake news' mentality. We need the RCMP to take it seriously, we need the police to understand how inherently threatening it is. And I don't think they do."

On the impact of instances like these, she added, "Media groups are finally paying attention to the mental health of their journalists. And now it is time for the police and politicians to stand up."

"All Canadians who value what journalists do need to stand up and say it. I am so grateful for the support we have gotten as a response to this hate campaign," she added.

We also reached out to Saba Eitizaz. This is not the first time Saba has been threatened and harassed. “I am in exile because of threats from [my home country] Pakistan. And now to receive the same kind of highly sexualised abuse and threats in Canada as well where I came to be safe is obviously very disturbing,” she told CFWIJ.

Saba believes that journalists of color are being targeted more frequently in connection with the racially charged atmosphere of Canada’s election season. It is getting more toxic on social media, she said. “Over the past few weeks far-right and anti-vaxxer groups have been growing in Canada in an echo of what we saw in the United States on January 6 [2021]. They all have common threads.” 

Earlier this month, Saba posted a screenshot of the racially charged and abuse she is being targeted with for her work. Saba said she is sent similar emails almost every Friday and demanded an end to the impunity with which women journalists of color are being targeted online in Canada. 

Saba shared screenshots of other emails which referred to an "old-school wall with printout pics of all the Canadian media c**** that need to be boogaloo'ed the f*** out of Canada" made by the sender and his purported accomplices. The so-called list allegedly featured Saba, Rachel Gilmore, Erica Ifill and other journalists. The sender elaborated on which journalists "the boys" wanted "silenced" first. 

The CFWIJ reached out to another affectee of Bernier’s hate campaign, Ashleigh-Rae Thompson. “I think the rise of the right-wing on social media is already having real-life ramifications. People will feel emboldened and move from harassing people online, to possibly attacking people on the streets. I live right near Yonge and Dundas, and the right-wing, anti-vaxxers protest so frequently there. Their numbers are only growing,” she said when asked about the recent rise of right-wing populist rhetoric on social media and the possibility of its danger extending beyond the digital world.

“I haven't figured out yet if it will impact the way I do journalism. I know journalists and activists who have had their addresses leaked by these kinds of groups. That hasn't happened to me, but I fear one day it might. I've definitely tightened up my social media presence a little because of it,” she concluded.

The CFWIJ extends its complete support to the journalists being targeted and joins the calls for a thorough investigation into the issue. The attacks appear to be coordinated and planned and the law enforcement authorities need to hold accountable those behind it. It has become abundantly clear that the news media industry in the country needs to find a way to protect journalists digitally, and tech giants need to take responsibility for the kind of political vitriol their platforms are enabling. The Coalition For Women In Journalists condemns the organized online hate campaign against Erica Ifill and extends support to her and her colleagues.

We are also aware that online violence against women journalists is not merely restricted to Canada. Right-wing populist politics has found a sizable audience on social media globally. The digital landscape - designed around small bites of information as opposed to extensive research - has made way for political conversations devoid of nuance. Communication via 280 characters or short videos, has inevitably led to provocative and sensationalized rhetoric which does not necessarily reflect reality. This, combined with the recent rise of right-wing governments globally and negligible accountability by multi-billionaire tech platforms, journalists find themselves increasingly vulnerable to attacks from right-wing political personalities as well as their following. 

The news media industry needs to find a way to protect journalists digitally, and tech giants need to take responsibility for the kind of political vitriol their platforms are enabling. A much larger conversation needs to take place on why journalists become the first scapegoats of right-wing populist leaders, and what real-world measures can be put in place to protect them. Especially if they belong to groups that are already sociopolitically vulnerable.

 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.

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