Location: France
Date: October 31, 2020

Journalist Liseron Baudoul was targeted by an online hate campaign for broadcasting a report on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on October 22, 2020. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the online harassments and stands with Liseron against these vicious attacks.

French TV TF1 and a war correspondent Liseron Baudoul was attacked by an online hate campaign from members of the Armenian community in France, after covering the current conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region from the Azerbaijani side of the front line. Liseron did not only receive dozens of insulting messages on social media, also received a message on WhatsApp from a person who had managed to get her personal contact details.

The TV journalist began receiving hate messages after TFI broadcast her report on its 8 p.m. news programme on 22 October. The French TV channel TFI itself also was attacked by hate messages, including emails and phone calls. 
One of the online messages targeted Liseron and commented that “It’s possible that with a few beheadings of senior TF1 personnel, they will think better and more clearly.”

Les pressions, intimidations et attaques contre les journalistes @LiseronBoudoul et les médias @TF1 continuent pic.twitter.com/5kiUaQzsGe

— Fazila (@FazilaShirinli) October 23, 2020

Another Facebook comment followed and called the journalist ‘similar to disinformation’. Also TF1 was one of the targets for covering the conflicts of Nagorno-Karabakh. Eventually, TF1 removed Liseron’s report from its website to refuse the tension.

Un reportage scandaleux @TF1LeJT de @LiseronBoudoul sur la guerre dans le Haut-Karabakh où l’Azerbaïdjan passe pour la victime et l’#Arménie pour l’agresseur.Une inversion de la réalité qui s’apparente à de la désinformation @GuillaumePorteu !Je ne pensais pas @TF1 capable de ça. pic.twitter.com/yM9kMpYMIZ

— PAPAZIAN (@FranckPapazian) October 22, 2020

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is following and monitoring online attacks against women journalists around the world with great concern. We are frustrated by the constant online attacks on women journalists around the world and calls for urgent action by Social media platforms to ensure women journalists' safety on their platforms.

The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.

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