This document provides an overview of Dr. Michelle Ferrier's presentation on defending against harassment for journalists online. It introduces Dr. Ferrier and her background working to counter online harassment as the founder of TrollBusters.com. The presentation covers defining online harassment, sharing examples of harassment experienced by journalists, demonstrating monitoring and reporting tools to address threats, and discussing strategies for individuals and newsrooms to improve online safety.

1. Defense Against the
Digital Dark Arts:
Online Pest Control
for Journalists
TRIGGER WARNING: Explicit sexual & racial language may be displayed and discussed.
Dr. Michelle Ferrier
Founder, Troll-Busters.com
Presented at Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe, Vienna,
Austria
September 26, 2017
© 2017 All Rights Reserved

2. ABOUT ME | DR. MICHELLE FERRIER
 Associate Professor ,
E.W. Scripps School of Journalism,
Ohio University
Twitter: @mediaghosts
 Founder, TrollBusters.com
 Past President, Journalism That
Matters;
Founder, Create or Die Startup
Gatherings
 Chief Investigator:
The Media Deserts Project
Educator
Entrepreneur
Mentor
Scholar
Media Innovator

3. ABOUT ME | DR. MICHELLE FERRIER
 Author: “The Progression
of Hate,” Attacks on the
Press 2016 Edition,
Committee to Protect
Journalists.
 Testified before the
United Nations, the
European Commission
and journalism
professional
organizations.
 Founder,
TrollBusters.com; 2017
SXSW Dewey Winburne
Community Service
Awardee

4. WORLDWIDE RECOGNITION

5. GLAMOUR MAGAZINE: JANUARY 2016

6. OUR
STATEMENT
OF
PURPOSE

7. To share what we’ve learned at TrollBusters
from helping womxn journalists.
To illuminate the digital environment
and its dangers.
To understand how journalists and the news
enterprise are affected by online harassment.
To define your own personal risk model.
To discuss specific tactics to preserving your
digital identity and reputation online and off.
OBJECTIVES OF THE WORKSHOP

8. WHY I DO WHAT I DO

10. DAYTONA-BEACH NEWS-JOURNAL

11. MY LAST COLUMN
“We all have different stories, but as I’ve shared
through this column for six years, we all have
common hopes, dreams, struggles, and triumphs
whether we are black, white, Asian, Hispanic,
male, female, Muslim, Christian or whatever.
Chasing Rainbows has been about bridging what
might be perceived as difference, to honor our
shared experiences.”
--My last column for the Daytona Beach News-Journal on the
inauguration of President Barack Obama in 2009

12. My personal
experiences
with hate
mail drove
me to
create
TrollBusters.

14. DAWNA MARKOVA | WIDE OPEN: LIVING
WITH PASSION AND PURPOSE
 “How could the twisted seeds of rage you inherited be
transformed so they would burn in a wholesome way for you
and for the rest of us?”
 “May what you love be stronger and more powerful than
anything you fear.” – Dawna Markova, Wide Open: Living with
Passion and Purpose
 “Where do your talents and the needs of the world intersect?”
–Aristotle
 “We are all meant to shine, as children do. As we let our own
light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to
do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our
presence automatically liberates others.” – Nelson Mandela

15. For additional information: Dr. Michelle Ferrier, Founder
Report: www.troll-busters.com report@troll-busters.com
Harassment Survey: http://bit.ly/journoharassment
@yoursosteam
© 2017 All Rights Reserved

16. WHAT WE OFFER
 S.O.S. Team: Countering cyberattacks in
real-time with online community support and positive
messaging.
 RAID: Finding and outing trolls online and tracking
where they operate using network analysis
technologies.
 SUPPORT: Providing technical, legal services and
psychological services; resources for publishers
under denial of service attacks.

17. POSITIVE MESSAGING

18. bit.ly/digitalhygiene

19. Our Digital Hygiene
Course offers 5-10
minute
preventative
measures to
minimize online
harm.
bit.ly/digitalhygiene

20. INFOGRAPHIC OF SPEECH THREATS

21. Tenga en cuenta que esto puede
no considerarse una amenaza
legalmente.
Elija si usted desea interactuar
con el usuario, bloquearlo o
silenciarlo.
Ir a DENÚNCIELO
Consejo: En Montana, una persona que dice
que causará daño físico a una persona o
puede ser multada. Y algunos estados, como
étnica” por hostigar a una persona debido a su
- pero solamente si el acoso lleva a amenazas
puede ser condenada por amenazas criminales
si amenaza con cometer un delito que r esulta
en muerte o daños corporales, la víctima cr ee
que la amenaza es inminente y el temor de la
víctima es razonable.
Alguien está
atacando mi sitio
web.
Un ataque de denegación de
servicio (DoS) es un ataque
malicioso para que un servidor
o un servicio de red no esté
disponible para los usuarios.
Un DDoS es un ataque de
varias computadoras.
Solicite soporte técnico de
empresas como CloudFlare, Sucuri o
Incapsula.
Si el sitio web es la página de un
medio independiente, un sitio de
derechos humanos o un sitio de
interés público, usted puede ter
derecho a protección gratuita de
DDoS. Sugerencia # 2
Si usted es un residente de bajos
ingresos en el área de Boston, usted
puede ter derecho a asistencia
jurídica gratuita a través de la
Alguien está
publicando fotografías
sexualmente
explícitas de mi sin mi
consentimiento
Denúncielo a Twitter o Facebook.
removal /#twitter
Consulte a un abogado. Muchos estados
víctimas de pornografía no consensual.
segúrese de documentar todo lo que
está sucediendo para crear pruebas
documentales de sus propios registros
en caso de que desee tomar medidas
con las autoridades competentes o la
plataforma.
Ir a DENÚNCIELO
Rec
todas las redes sociales): www.Cybercivilrights.org/
online-removal
Leyes sobre pornografía vengativa en cada estado de
los Estados Unidos: www.cybercivilrights.org/revenge-
porn-laws
No bloquee el contenido o la persona.
Paso 2: ¿Qué pasó después con el acoso?
Paso 1: ¿Qué le pasa en este momento?
Se termina:
Fin
Se convierte en una amenaza
Alguien está revelando
mi información privada
(doxing)
Doxing es la práctica de
públicamente difundir
información privada o
identific
a
bl e.
puede incluir el desarrollo de un plan
de seguridad en domicilio o incluso
reubicarse temporalmente.
Sugerencia # 1
Documente todo lo que está
sucediendo para crear pruebas
documentales en caso de que desee
tomar medidas con las autoridades
competentes o la plataforma.
N
está sucediendo.
DENUNCIELO
1. Denúncielo a la policía.
2. Denúncielo a TrollBusters.
3. Hable con su empleador sobre lo que está
sucediendo. Decida cómo debe abordar el
acoso y si otros deben supervisar sus cuentas
en redes sociales.
4. Documéntelo.
Alguien se está
haciendo pasar por mi
cuenta.
Denuncie la imitación de su identidad a
Twitter. (Usted tendrá que compartir su
comprobar su identidad.
Ir a DENÚNCIELO
Xx
Alguien ha publicado una
crítica.
Ejemplo: “ Una mejor reportera
habría considerado el impacto
económico de la propuesta” .
Elija si desea interactuar con o ignorar
al usuario. (Usted puede revisar los
otros tweets que han enviado para
tener una idea de cómo puede ser su
O Vaya a DEJE DE MIRARLO
X!
¿ESTÁS SUFRIENDO ACOSO EN LÍNEA?
Cosas a documentar
• Número de amenazas.
• Detalles (fecha, hora,
• Número de personas
involucradas.
• Severidad del ataque
*
Config
u
r aci ones en
Twitter
Cambi
Twitter para asegurarse de que
solo vea el contenido que desea.
•
tweets por personas que
de esas cuentas.
• Twitter también tiene un
contenido de baja calidad de
personas quienes usted no
con recientemente.
•
o bloquear usuarios, usted
también puede silenciar
•
bloquear sus tweets, puede
ser que desee que alguien
monitoree las cuentas
ofensivas para ver si las
amenazas contra usted han
incrementado.
Para obtener instrucciones sobr e
estas herramientas y cómo ut ilizarlas,
consulte https://support.twitter.com/
/ 20169398.
*
TrollBusters ofrece control de plagas en línea para escritoras, period istas y
editoras. Denúncielo en yoursosteam.wordpress.com. Si usted no es periodista,
consulte nuestros recursos para obtener más consejos e información.
Alguien ha publicado un
comentario difamatorio.
La difamación es una
declaración falsa con la
intención de dañar su
reputación. Contradígala
públicamente con hechos y
testimonios.
Solicite a sus amigos que comenten en
su nombre o denuncien cualquier tweet
ofensivo. https://support.twitter.com/articles/20170408
DEJE DE MIRARLO
DENÚNCIELO
Recursos: www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/defamation-law-
made-simple-29718.html
Legaldictionary.net/libel
FAKE
troll-busters.com
Se incrementa
el número de
acosadores
Si son humanos
Si son bots ¿Es usted parte de
un grupo de personas
acosadas?
Sí
Comuníquese con las otras cuentas.
Considere la posibilidad de iniciar una lista de
bloqueo con otras personas que fueron acosadas.
Documente para sus propios registros.
No
DENÚNCIELO
¿Es usted parte de
un grupo de personas
acosadas?
No
Siga los pasos apropiados. DENÚNCIELO
Alguien ha publicado un insulto.
Ejemplo: “ Necesitas aprender a
escribir” .
DEJE DE MIRARLO
I
costumbre.
Salga de línea por un tiempo hasta que se recupere.
Silencie el usuario. Es no sabrá que usted lo tiene
silenciado. Si usted sigue al usuario, usted seguirá
cuenta silenciada.
B
vea o lea sus tweets. (Sin embargo, pueden tener otras
amigo monitoreando tweets direccionados a su cuentea
en caso de que usted quiera estar consciente de las
amenazas o usted quisiera documentarlas.
!*# @
Alguien ha publicado
una amenaza
explícita.
Ejemplo: “ Voy a matarte.”
Sugerencia # 1
Denúncielo a la policía.
able con su empleador, si es
apropiado.
Ir de DEJE DE MIRARLO
(bajo “ Alguien ha publicado un
insulto” )
Recursos: www.troll-busters.com
www.cpj.org www.iwmf.org/programs/reporta
!*#@
A quién contactar como
un estudiante
Si usted es una estudiante,
comuníquese con El Centro
cualquier incidente a su
consejero de facultad, si es
apropiado.
*
Alguien ha publicado
una amenaza implícita.
Ejemplo: “ Las personas
como tú deben recibir un
disparo” .
!*#@
Un bot es un programa
informático que realiza
tareas automatizadas.
!*#@X
GO
GO
Sugerencia # 5
Sugerencia # 14
GO
GO
Bloquee las cuentas.
Fijase en las listas de
bloqueo creadas por otras
personas acosadas.
Denúncielo a TrollBusters.
GO
TRANSLATIONS: SPANISH & HINDU

22. TWITTER MEMES

23. PILOT 100: LAUNCHED SEPTEMBER 1, 2016
 Free monitoring
services for 100
women journalists
 Active monitoring
and more
responsive
intervention
 Study effects of
positive
messaging and
just-in-time
education

24. • Doxxed:
Personal
information
released
online
• Hacked her
cloud photos
• Hacked her
website
• Posted nude
images on
her website.
LESLIE
JONES
Real-Time Monitoring/Using Bots

25.  Email: Called her “nigger bitch”. Wasn’t a month that
went by that she wasn’t called a nigger, bitch, ho. 11
years, not a week. “You really are a nigger bitch.
We’ll rape you and throw you in the gutter.”
 Management told her not to worry about the emails.
She began watching over her shoulder and taking
extra precautions driving to and from work.
 “I did not like who this was making me. Paranoid and
vigilant that is.”
 “I was emotional and felt disrespect for my craft.
This is emotional and economic violence.”
CANDIDATE K: AFRICAN-AMERICAN

26.  Tweets question validity of her work. Coverage of
immigration issue.
 Twitter user tweeting incessantly at her calling her
work fake and biased. In a 24-hour period, 25-50
tweets from one individual.
 Especially used when she was using Facebook Live
for protests and vigils and needed to monitor social
media and respond to viewers.
 “I grew up on the Internet. I have to use my real
name. I have to be in these spaces.”
CANDIDATE B: CAUCASIAN

27.  Gets rape jokes and threats through messages on Facebook,
emails. Tweets attacked her appearance. Users dug up old
photos. The article wasn’t about her at all.
 “It’s men always and I usually notice on FB that it’s almost
always white men.”
 “I won’t go on camera for anything because of Facebook
commenters.”
 Has been re-victimized when articles were reposted without
her knowledge.
 “We can’t get off of these things. So sick of people…when I’m
not even supposed to be working. You can’t get a break
sometimes.”
CANDIDATE L: CAUCASIAN

28.  Used the word “alleged” in story. People jumped on her word
choice on Twitter.
 “I felt like I needed to respond because it questioned my
abilities. It questioned my skills as a journalist…and this could
hurt me in the future.”
 Management advised not responding.
 “I felt angry and helpless. Open season on me. It unfairly
exposed me simply for doing my job.”
 “I came to feel that if I wrote certain stories – police misconduct
or police shooting – I braced myself for backlash from readers. I
didn’t want to write those stories. I triple/quadruple checked
things, giving no claim for attacks.”
 “I wonder if I’m being less aggressive, with an inclination to
retreat. I have to make sure I don’t do that.”
CANDIDATE D: AFRICAN-AMERICAN

29. DEFINING THE ISSUE

30. PAIR/SHAR
E
What does
online
harassment
mean to
you?
What have
you seen
occur online
in your
organization
or to others?

31. Online harassment is defined as an
intentional and overt act of aggression toward
another person online, which involves making
rude or nasty comments towards someone, or
intentionally embarrassing another user in
retaliation for a perceived wrong (Ybarra &
Mitchell, 2004).
WHAT IS ONLINE HARASSMENT?

32. What is the line between free
speech, freedom of expression and
the free press?
When does free speech become
hate speech?
When does hate speech become
cyberstalking or online harassment?
WHAT IS ONLINE HARASSMENT?

33. Hate speech is speech that offends, threatens, or
insults groups, based on race, color, religion,
national origin, sexual orientation, disability or
other traits.
Case law: R.A.V v City of St. Paul (1992): Cross
burning by youth in Minnesota when to Supreme
Court which deemed law unconstitutional. Ruled
on law not the act.
Case law: Wisconsin v Mitchell (1993)
Mississippi Burning. Mitchell attacked white boy.
Courts ruled additional penalty could be added to
initial beating act because actions focused on
specific identity.
WHAT IS HATE SPEECH?

34. CYBERSTALKING LAWS

35. CYBERSTALKING LAWS: OHIO

36. ONLINE HARASSMENT: 40% AND UP
 Women writers and
publishers experience
online harassment on
their sites.
 General news sites have
struggled with
moderating online
commenting.

37. HARASSMENT OF WOMEN ON TWITTER
 27 percent experience
hate speech…sexist,
racist, homophobic,
etc.
 22 percent experience
doxxing – release of
private information

38. 88 percent of journalists
agreed that the safety of
journalists and media
workers is more of an
issue than it was 10
years ago, with 86
percent saying that
journalists are more likely
to be targets of violence.
“Under Threat” International
News Safety Institute, 2015
JOURNALISM: RISKY BUSINESS

39. WOMEN JOURNALISTS ARE TARGETED
• Rape threats
• Death threats
• Doxxing
• DDOS attacks
• Hashtag bombing

40. INDY ONLINE NEWS PUBLISHERS

41. #GamerGate and other organized smart mobs use
Reddit, Facebook and other social tools to mount
coordinated, swift and persistent attacks on
journalists, hashtags and issues.
SMART MOBS AND DIGITAL
WILDFIRE

42. Harassers use
the same tools
designed to
protect users
from offensive
content.
REPORT/BL
OCK USED
AGAINST
US

43. THE STUDY:
HTTP://BIT.LY/JOURNOHARASSMENT
 Survey: (http://bit.ly/journoharassment) will help in
examining organizational workplace policies and the
effects of online harassment on the news enterprise.
 Qualitative: In-depth interviews with 30 female
journalists, both online only and print journalists.
 Examine patterns of response to online harassment;
where and how harassment occurs and management
response(s).

44. Emotional
Stressful
Ongoing
Anonymous
Online & offline
activity
Based on identity,
then content
24/7 always on
exposure
Unclear about how to
respond
Disregarded by
management
Feeling abandoned by
management and at
risk as professional
and personal lives
blend.
INDIVIDUAL EFFECTS ON JOURNALISTS

45. EFFECTS OF ONLINE HARASSMENT
INDIVIDUAL
 The online harassment
of journalists can
create a chilling
effect—journalists may
avoid online contact,
reduce the media
content they create,
and share and withdraw
from reporting, social
media, and other job-
related activities.
NEWS ENTERPRISE
 The chilling effect on
individual journalists
and journalistic lines of
inquiry can lead to the
silencing of diverse
voices in the media, the
technological takedown
of a media site, or the
abandonment of a line
of investigative inquiry.

46. Journalists make the perfect target for trolls.
They must use social media and engage as part
of their work.
Journalists and their natural curiosity also feed
into the dynamic. Journalists want answers and
they want to understand who and why they are
being targeted.
Professional culture sees harassment as part of
the job, viewing it as critique and free speech.
Significant professional harm can result from
harassment.
FINDINGS:
PROFESSIONAL CULTURE

47. The speed of the attacks on women journalist
can be fast and furious. Solutions need to be
timely and repeated.
Oftentimes, harassment travels in the back
channels of messaging, where harassers will
send violent content.
Women were afraid to speak up about their
online harassment because of fear of reprisals AT
WORK in loss of credibility, potential for
reassignment or different assignments.
WHAT WE’VE LEARNED

48. YOUR PERSONAL
THREAT MODEL

49. • Stalking
• Gender-Based
Bullying
• Impersonation
• Nonconsensual
Pornography
• Grooming/Pred
ation
• Mob Attacks
• Rape and Death
Threats
• Doxxing/Swattin
g
THREATS

50. • Take each of the
nine impacts on
the outer wheel
and prioritize
them based on
what you would
most fear.
• Which are
your top
three. Why?
IMPACTS

51. PAIR/SHAR
E
Talk to your
partner
about why
you created
the
priorities in
the way you
did. What do
you most
fear? What
do you need
to do to
reduce the
fear?

52. TACTICS TO REDUCE
RISK AND
MITIGATE DAMAGE

53. FEAR: OFFLINE ACTIVITY
 https://yoursosteam.wordpr
ess.com/2015/08/30/rem
ove-your-mailing-address-
from-data-broker-sites/
 Search Spokeo.com or
BeenVerified.com.
 Search using misspellings
and partners.
 Use opt-out processes to
remove your information.
 Check often! Data
reappears.

54. FEAR: OFFLINE ACTIVITY
Pay the $10/year to
add privacy
protection.
Think about the
information that is
public record: Voting
and property
ownership. Consider
shell companies or
putting property in a
partner’s name.

55. FEAR: IMPERSONATION/
IDENTITY BREACH
Check out LastPass
and other password
managers to create
one place for
passwords.
Use a strong
passphrase on your
primary recovery
account.

56. FEAR: IMPERSONATION/
IDENTITY BREACH
How often DO you
play those Buzzfeed
quizzes?
Turn off access to
your microphone on
your phone and
computer in privacy
settings.
Cover your computer
camera.

57. INFOGRAPHIC OF SPEECH THREATS
YOURSOSTEAM.WORDPRESS.COM

58. For additional information: Dr. Michelle Ferrier, Founder
Report: www.troll-busters.com report@troll-busters.com
Harassment Survey: http://bit.ly/journoharassment
@yoursosteam
© 2017 All Rights Reserved