Espulse: gender-based violence in journalism

How was the collective Espulse created? What do you do?
The collective, formed by four freelance journalists — Alessia Bisini, Francesca Candioli, Stefania Prandi and Roberta Cavaglià — was founded in July 2023 with the goal of investigating the problem of sexual harassment and abuses of power in the world of Italian journalism. Harassment, abuses of power and gender discrimination are among the main tools used to keep women on the margins of the workforce. In journalism specifically, they are not only a social, economic and psychological harm to individual professionals, but also a tool for maintaining the status quo in newsrooms and preventing women from giving voice to other women. This systematic exclusion has deep consequences: without power over editorial decisions, the media agenda remains dominated by a male perspective, which often ignores or distorts crucial issues for society. This imbalance is evident to anyone who watches television, listens to the radio, or reads newspapers: only 35% of the Italian population believes that the media address gender issues adequately (source: Observatory on Journalism, 2020 edition). This system not only penalizes the women working in the sector, but also impoverishes the entire information landscape, compromising the quality and pluralism of news in a country that last year already dropped from 41st to 46th place in the world press freedom ranking (source: Reporters Without Borders, 2024).

In light of your first investigation, what are the most common patterns of gender-based violence in journalism?
Voi con queste gonnelline mi provocate is the title of the investigation we published on 16 October 2024 on IrpiMedia, and it was crucial in showing that gender discrimination begins in journalism schools. During the investigation, we interviewed 239 students and four internal sources who attended, within the last ten years, one of the ten journalism master’s programs recognized by the National Order of Journalists, located in Bologna, Milan, Turin, Rome, Bari, Perugia and Urbino. Half of the people interviewed reported having witnessed or heard of sexual and verbal harassment, attempted sexual assaults, stalking, coercion and gender discrimination, occurring in class, during school-related activities or during internships included in the curriculum. One third of the female students described in detail, with names and surnames, the abuses they suffered. Among the people we spoke to, none filed a formal complaint. Their testimonies are collected in the investigation we published on 16 October 2024 on IrpiMedia. But there is more. Faced with this extremely worrying data, we chose to bring these testimonies directly to the schools, universities, regional journalist associations and the national order. The investigation also includes their responses. In particular, some schools confirmed that they had received reports of harassment and sexism in the last ten years and had taken action by removing the instructors involved. Others, having received no reports from their students, expressed surprise at the incidents of harassment and sexism described by the students in our investigation and assured us they would look into the matter thoroughly. We found numerous cases of women and men who preferred not to speak about what had happened because several factors still discourage those who experience harassment from coming forward. It was not easy for our sources — who are themselves journalists — to open up to a colleague they did not know. Those who experience sexual harassment often remain silent for various reasons: low awareness of the seriousness of the offense, shame, and fear of long-term retaliation. Many of our sources felt guilty. They feared the consequences of filing a complaint. They thought they would not be believed. Some normalized the situation because, as some explained, “that’s how the world works.” Some former students we interviewed no longer work as journalists, and in some cases the harassment they experienced contributed to that decision (along with other factors such as low pay and precarious working conditions). Others told us they lost job opportunities in journalism because they were afraid of being harassed or discriminated against again. Our work has already produced significant effects: in December 2024, following our investigation, the National Council of the Order of Journalists approved the new Code of Ethics and Conduct for journalism schools.

Now you have decided to work on a second investigation. What focus did you choose? What motivated you to continue this inquiry?
We are currently working on producing the second part of the investigation, focusing on sexual harassment, gender discrimination and abuses of power that occur inside newsrooms. For this reason, we created a dedicated questionnaire where employed journalists, freelancers and press officers can anonymously share their testimonies. We launched a crowdfunding campaign to support the project. The Italian National Press Federation, which in 2019 addressed the issue of harassment in Italian journalism, supported the project with an additional donation. The national journalists’ order is also supporting us, along with several regional associations. We want to continue producing high-quality investigative journalism and, above all, we want journalism to be free from sexual harassment, gender discrimination and abuses of power — a journalism where information is truly plural and inclusive, and where journalists who have suffered the consequences of this system no longer feel alone.