From tackling harassment to building mentorship and solidarity

Dušan Velimirović | Journalist

Marie Palmer | EUI

Young women journalists are entering a profession marked by precarious contracts, political and economic pressure, and a sharp rise in online harassment. In this context, threats and hate speech are not only attacks on individuals as women, but direct assaults on press freedom itself. Drawing on the experience of the Croatian mentoring network Zagorka and the long-standing advocacy of Giulia Giornaliste, this session explores how solidarity networks, peer mentorship, and collective action can provide protection, guidance, and resilience for those under attack. The speakers will also address what more is needed at criminal, legislative, and investigative levels to ensure that protecting women journalists becomes a structural commitment — because without safe women journalists, there is no free journalism.