Study: One in Three Media Workers Faces Sexual Harassment

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A new multi-country study released on May 21, 2026, by the Association for International Broadcasters and the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN IFRA) Women in News, City St George’s, University of London, and BBC Media Action reveals that sexual harassment remains a persistent feature of media workplaces worldwide, with one in three people surveyed experiencing some form of abuse.

The study draws on responses from more than 2,800 media employees, making it one of the largest datasets on sexual harassment in newsroom workplaces to date. Respondents span a wide range of roles, including journalism, administration, human resources, production, marketing, and management, offering a comprehensive picture of how harassment is experienced across media organizations.

Dr. Lindsey Blumell of City St George’s, University of London, emphasized the severe ramifications of these findings on media personnel. "Sexual harassment has a deeply negative impact on those who experience it and the general working atmosphere in newsrooms. Our research shows that no matter the type of harassment, experiencing it decreases job satisfaction, increases risk of leaving the industry, and many other negative mental and even physical consequences to victims/survivors. Underreporting sexual harassment reflects a lack of trust in reporting systems and signals an overall acceptance of violence in newsrooms," she remarked as quoted from the report.

Conducted across 21 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Arab region, Southeast Asia, and Ukraine, the 2025 study finds that on average, 29 percent of media professionals in these countries reported experiencing sexual harassment.

Across all genders, 69 percent of those who experienced harassment did not report it, continuing a long-standing pattern of underreporting found in earlier studies. Where survivors did report incidents, organizations took action only in 65 percent of cases, most often through limited or informal measures.

The study also found that fear of retaliation, a lack of trusted reporting mechanisms, and low confidence in organizational responses remain key reasons why harassment goes unreported. These factors reflect significant structural barriers to reporting cases, alongside a lack of accountability and response mechanisms across media workplaces.

The data shows that progress remains slow and uneven. Globally, women are 2.4 times more likely than men to experience verbal sexual harassment and 1.8 times more likely to experience online sexual harassment. While experiences of physical harassment and rape are lower, they remain consistent threats; a quarter of all respondents report instances of physical harassment, with 5 percent of women and 4 percent of men citing that they are rape survivors.

The research also points to a persistent gender gap in participation and reporting. Lower response and reporting rates among men suggest that sexual harassment is still widely perceived as primarily a women’s issue, despite its broader implications for newsroom culture, power dynamics, the safety of journalists, and the overall integrity of journalism.

Valeria Perasso, Media Development Advisor at BBC Media Action, noted that the systemic nature of the problem directly compromises the quality of the press.

"Addressing sexual harassment is not only a matter of individual protection, but of newsroom governance and journalistic integrity. Unsafe and unequal workplace cultures create structural barriers that limit who can participate, lead, and shape editorial decisions, and ultimately, journalism suffers. We hope this report will help inform organisational action and leadership practices in individual newsrooms and across the media sector, as well as policy and advocacy – contributing to safer, more inclusive, and equitable media institutions."

The research builds on earlier studies conducted in 2018 and 2020, expanding geographic coverage to countries not previously examined, including Ukraine, Sierra Leone, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan. These additions have strengthened the global evidence base on sexual harassment in media workplaces, though the resulting regional disparities remain stark.

Findings highlight significant variation across regions, showing that prevalence rates remain highest in Africa at 33 percent and the Arab Region at 31 percent. In contrast, prevalence rates stand at 19 percent in Southeast Asia and 12 percent in Ukraine, which was included in the study for the first time in 2025.

Ultimately, the survey provides a valuable lens on how workplace cultures in media organizations have evolved over the past five years—and where change has stalled. The findings, experts say, point to key areas where action is both urgently needed and possible: policies, training, support systems for survivors, and collective engagement.

Susan Makore, Managing Director of WAN-IFRA Women in News, stressed that addressing the crisis requires a complete cultural overhaul within media institutions.

"When the majority of sexual harassment cases continue to go unreported, it signals a deeper failure of workplace culture, trust, and accountability. Sexual harassment in media is not an isolated workplace issue. It is a structural barrier that shapes who feels safe to participate, stay, and lead within journalism. Addressing it requires more than policies alone. Media organisations must invest in sustained awareness raising, training, and sensitisation at all levels of the newsroom to help shift workplace cultures, strengthen reporting mechanisms, and ensure harassment is recognised, addressed, and not normalised. Safer and more equitable media workplaces are essential to building stronger, more inclusive, and resilient journalism," she said.

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