Vero backs regional push against online abuse targeting women journalists

As online abuse against journalists intensifies across Southeast Asia, communications consultancy Vero is supporting a regional initiative aimed at helping media professionals defend themselves against technology-facilitated gender-based violence and hate speech.

Working alongside the Centre for Journalism and Trauma Asia Pacific (CJT), formerly known as Dart Centre Asia Pacific, Vero has provided pro bono communications support for the organisation’s “not alone, not silenced” programme, which equips journalists with digital safety tools, trauma-informed reporting skills, and peer support networks.

The initiative comes amid mounting concerns over the scale of online abuse targeting women journalists. According to UN Women’s global survey of women in the public sphere, 75% of women journalists and media workers experienced online violence in 2025, up from 73% in 2020.

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The programme recently brought together 13 Southeast Asian journalists for a four-day workshop at the Vero Supercampus in Bangkok, with some attendees reportedly risking their safety simply by participating.

The abuse described by participants ranged from coordinated hate messages and harassment campaigns to manipulated AI-generated images and graphic threats of violence. CJT said these attacks are increasingly contributing to self-censorship and emotional exhaustion among journalists across the region.

“There are the women whose Facebook profiles were stalked, their image and likeness (and those of their family) shared maliciously on public forums and edited for added insult,” said Vero editor Marinel Mamac. “There are those whose phones receive a never-ending stream of hate messages.”

Dr. Kimina Lyall, a clinical psychologist specialising in trauma and one of CJT’s directors, warned that digital threats can have the same psychological effect as physical violence.

“It’s the same as if it was an actual attack,” she explained. “Our brains haven’t evolved enough to differentiate between what’s on a screen and what’s in front of us. So, seeing an image of yourself being attacked elicits the same psychological sensations as actually being attacked.”

Lyall added that the repetitive nature of online abuse often intensifies its impact. “It can just go round and round and round, and it feels like it’s happening again and again and again,” she said.

The “not alone, not silenced” fellowship spans 10 months and combines in-person workshops with personalised mentorship. A major component of the programme is the “Digital Flak Jacket”, a framework developed by CJT director Amantha Perera to help journalists anticipate and manage digital risks in their reporting environments.

“Every time I entered an active conflict zone, I would put on a flak jacket,” said Perera, who previously reported on the war in Sri Lanka. “The Digital Flak Jacket works the same way - the only difference is, it is virtual.”

Perera also emphasised the importance of building support systems for journalists facing coordinated abuse online.

“The 13 journalists we are working with now - we’ve brought them together in this programme as a community, while also inviting them to this very vast network of journalist alumni spread from the westernmost corner of Asia to the easternmost corner of the Pacific islands,” he said.

The Philippines was highlighted as one market where structured support and newsroom solidarity are urgently needed. A 2021 study on Filipina journalists found that harassment campaigns often escalate from public remarks made by influential figures before spreading through networks of anonymous online accounts.

For CJT, the programme is part of a wider push toward trauma-informed journalism and newsroom wellbeing. The organisation has previously led peer support programmes following the Maguindanao Massacre in the Philippines, as well as training initiatives covering suicide reporting, climate disaster coverage, and violence against women and children.

“An important detail of our work is the focus on building journalists’ strengths,” said Dr. Cait McMahon, OAM, CJT director and founder of the former Dart Centre Asia Pacific. “We do not pathologise - that means not treating journalists like there is something wrong with them for how they react to handling trauma.”

Instead, the organisation focuses on both journalism craft and emotional resilience, helping reporters navigate traumatic assignments while maintaining their wellbeing.

“We have a saying at CJT that, ‘a healthy journalist makes healthy journalism,’” McMahon said.

One fellow who attended the Bangkok workshop said the programme provided a rare sense of solidarity among journalists operating under political pressure and persistent online attacks.

“All journalists are exposed to trauma,” the fellow said anonymously for safety reasons. “We feel the same things while working under political pressure. And while I’ve attended many programmes before, this is the first time that I was able to relate to so many other journalists. I hope this programme can be extended to even more of us.”

Looking ahead, CJT plans to conduct 11 peer support programmes across Southeast Asia by 2031 and provide Digital Flak Jacket training to 1,000 journalists. The organisation also aims to train newsroom leaders, clinicians, and regional trainers while expanding support for non-English-speaking journalists in remote communities.

“It’s our duty to take this work to the furthest corners that we can take it,” Perera said.

Step into PR Asia Philippines 2026 on 9 September in Manila, where communications leaders will unpack the realities of trust, nationalism, misinformation, and polarisation shaping the country’s evolving narrative landscape.

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