The proportion of surveyed women journalists, activists and human rights defenders reporting offline attacks, abuse and harassment linked to online violence rose from one-fifth in 2020 to 42 per cent in 2025, two studies conducted for UN Women found.
The findings featured in a discussion with journalist and online misogyny researcher Julie Posetti, published by Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) on 22 October 2026.
The discussion examined how social media, once viewed as a way to broaden democratic participation, has also provided channels through which misogynistic and racist abuse can spread.
It raised questions about the role of technology platforms and the consequences for women whose work requires them to remain visible in public.
Online Misogyny Leaves Women Facing Risks Beyond the Screen
In the early 2000s, social media offered the prospect of a more open public sphere, allowing people to reach audiences without relying entirely on traditional media institutions. For women journalists, activists and human rights defenders, these platforms created new opportunities to share their work and participate in public debate.
That promise has been accompanied by concerns about persistent online hostility. CJR highlighted a campaign against Jane Doe, the woman at the centre of the Cornell Seven case, as an example of the problem.
#Global 🌍: How is Big Tech fuelling online misogyny against women journalists?@CJR examines rising levels of abuse and the implications for journalists’ safety and press freedom.https://t.co/70ixjndicJ
— IFJ (@IFJGlobal) October 23, 2026
Posetti has examined the changing relationship between digital platforms and abuse directed at women in public life. She oversaw two studies for UN Women, conducted in 2020 and 2025, examining online violence against women human rights defenders, activists and journalists.
The findings suggest online abuse can have consequences beyond the internet. In 2020, one-fifth of surveyed women journalists, activists and human rights defenders reported related offline attacks, abuse and harassment. By 2025, that figure had risen to 42 per cent, more than double the original proportion and a marked increase over five years.
The figures cover all three groups collectively and do not establish that online violence directly caused each incident or explain the increase.
Big Tech Faces Questions Over Its Role in Amplifying Abuse
The CJR discussion examined how technology platforms can amplify online misogyny and expose targeted women to wider audiences. Posetti warned of a broader threat to women's rights, saying, 'The licensing of networked misogyny is explicit' and 'there's a global rollback of women's rights happening before our eyes'.
However, the survey findings do not establish how individual companies or their platform policies contributed to the rise in reported offline abuse.
The distinction is important when assessing corporate responsibility. The research identifies a rise in reported harm among surveyed women, but the CJR article does not provide a platform-by-platform breakdown or establish which services were associated with particular incidents.
For women journalists, the problem creates a difficult tension. Their work often depends on public engagement, reporting contentious issues and communicating directly with audiences, while that same visibility can expose them to targeted hostility.
The original UN Women reports are needed to verify the survey methods, sample sizes and comparability of the findings. The Journalism 2050 episode featuring Posetti was recorded at Georgia's Zeg storytelling festival in June and hosted by CJR contributors Emily Bell and Heather Chaplin.
