Women in Journalism Scotland is hosting a unique training event to support those who deal with online abuse in their work.

About this event

While we continue to campaign against the rising tide of online sexist abuse of women working in the media, we want to offer practical training for those who are dealing with it right now. 

Women in Journalism Scotland is hosting a unique resilience training event, tailored for those dealing wtih social media abuse in the workplace.

For most of us working in media and communications, social media is now an unavoidable requirement of the job. As well as being an incredibly useful and powerful tool for storytelling and networking, it has opened up the floodgates for online abuse and trolling. This has never been more evident than during the pandemic when our reliance on digital information increased and people spent more time online than ever. 

During November and December of 2020, Women in Journalism Scotland ran an online survey, collecting 92 responses from women working in the media from across Scotland. More than 60% said abuse directed at journalists had increased during 2020 and 36% were abused while doing their jobs that year.

In this pilot workshop, we will look at how to minimise exposure to toxic messages, what tools you can use to filter what you see, coping mechanisms and look at how to build resilience. We will hear from expert women and communication professionals about positive strategies for dealing with negative social media interactions. 

Speakers include: 

Carolyne Mitchell, formerly of South Lanarkshire Council, expert in emergency communications and digital strategy, established the council's digital channels and helped create Scottish Government social media 'warning and informing' guidance 

Charley Gavigan, Mental Health Specialist and Podcaster 

Rachel Weiss, Counsellor, The Rowan Consultancy 

There will also be a show-and-tell from working journalists and communication professionals about their preferred strategies for surviving social media. 

Rather than focusing on individual experiences, the workshop will set out strategies for using social media effectively and hear from speakers who specialise in mental health and wellbeing during turbulent times. It comes in response to requests from our membership.

It will be recorded and used as an online resource for women who seek support from the organisation in the future.