Online harassment of journalists

Iftar at Nanu’s flat in Mohammadpur, and the table is crowded: beguni, piyaju, chola, a jug of Rooh Afza that nobody admits to liking. Mahmuda, 31, an investigative reporter, published a story that morning on a land-grabbing syndicate in Keraniganj. Her phone keeps lighting up on her lap.

“Mahmuda, put it down, the beguni is going cold,” says her Khala.

“She’s counting how many people hate her today,” says her cousin Tuhin, and the whole table laughs, Mahmuda too.

Later, washing up, she reads one message twice. It names the lane where her mother lives. She says nothing at the table, checks the lock on the door twice that night, and sleeps with the phone face down. The next story is half written. She has not opened the file in a week.

An illustration drawn from common experience. The person is invented; the pattern is not.

Understanding online harassment of journalists

Online harassment is not a diagnosis, but living with repeated abuse and threats can lead to conditions that are. The most common is anxiety: constant alertness, a racing heart when the phone buzzes, poor sleep. Where threats feel like real danger, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder can follow, with intrusive memories, avoidance and feeling under threat. Low mood, and a sense of being let down by the people who should protect you, are common too.

How common it is

There is no peer-reviewed figure for Bangladeshi journalists; the evidence comes from elsewhere. In a 2025 study of 246 journalists at a Canadian news organisation, 26% were harassed online at least weekly. Moderate to severe anxiety was reported by 30.1%, and 13.8% had PTSD symptoms above the threshold for possible PTSD. More frequent harassment went with modestly higher anxiety, depression and PTSD scores.

Signs worth noticing

• Dread before publishing, or before opening messages
• Checking comments and inboxes again and again, or avoiding them entirely
• Sleeping badly, or waking to check the phone
• Feeling unsafe at home or on the way to work
• Dropping stories, or softening them, to make the abuse stop

How care helps

A psychiatrist will first ask about safety, because some threats need the police and the newsroom involved, not only treatment. Then comes a careful look at anxiety, depression, PTSD, sleep, and any alcohol or sleeping pills. WHO notes that approaches based on cognitive behavioural therapy have the most evidence for anxiety disorders, and that trauma-focused CBT and EMDR have the most evidence for PTSD. Antidepressants of the SSRI type can help adults with anxiety disorders, while benzodiazepines are generally not recommended because of the risk of dependence. Practical steps help alongside: a colleague who screens the inbox, a record of threats kept for editors and police, and an editor who knows.

What getting better can look like

Mahmuda’s next step might be opening the file again, with her editor and a lawyer in the loop, and next Ramadan reading the comments once, after iftar, and then putting the phone in the drawer while Nanu serves the haleem.

Common questions about online harassment of journalists

Can online threats cause PTSD?

They can contribute to it. In a study of Canadian journalists, about one in seven had PTSD symptoms above a screening threshold, and more frequent harassment was linked to more severe symptoms. A screening score is not a diagnosis, so a proper assessment is the next step.

How can journalists cope with online harassment?

Keep a record of threats, tell your editor, and involve the police when there is a risk of physical harm. If anxiety, sleeplessness or dread are lasting for weeks, psychological treatment such as CBT is effective for anxiety, and you do not have to wait until you stop working to get help.

When to see a psychiatrist

If threats are affecting your sleep, your work or your sense of safety, please book an appointment. If you or your family are in immediate danger, call 999.

Care here is personal: built around your history, your health and what you want to change, and reviewed with you as it goes.

Sources

• Feinstein et al., European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 2025 (PMID 40622752)
• WHO, Anxiety disorders fact sheet, 15 September 2026
• WHO, Post-traumatic stress disorder fact sheet, 11 September 2026