Voices Under Fire at the Social Good Summit
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Global Gathering on Media Freedom Join “Voices” in Florence
October 30, 2025
The Organization for Security and Co‑operation in Europe (OSCE) OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media will host a commemorative event marking the 10th anniversary of its “Safety of Female Journalists Online (SOFJO)” project. The gathering is scheduled from 14:30 to 17:45 at Stadtkino im Künstlerhaus (Akademiestraße 13, 1010 Vienna).
The SOFJO initiative was launched to confront gender-specific threats faced by women in media—especially in digital environments where online harassment can escalate into real-world danger. Over the past decade, the project has evolved into a platform for research, support networks, training, and advocacy aimed at preserving women’s rights to speak, report, and engage freely.
This anniversary event will open with a welcome coffee at 14:30, followed at 15:00 by opening remarks from senior OSCE RFoM officials. At 15:15, journalists who have experienced online harassment, together with experts in digital safety and gender issues, will share testimonials grounded in lived practice. At 16:15, the screening of A Dark Place (2018) will complete the program—this documentary remains relevant in portraying how digital threats translate into on-the-ground harm for women in the press.
Beyond celebration, the session aims to foster deeper reflection on how the media landscape has changed—by amplified social-media platforms, AI-driven harassment, cross-border online trolling, and increasingly complex safety threats. The organizers intend the event to serve as a networking forum for women journalists, digital-safety specialists, human-rights advocates, and editors, so as to exchange lessons, build coalitions, and chart new strategies for the years ahead.
Attendees are invited to engage online via OSCE RFoM’s social-media channels—X, LinkedIn, Bluesky, and Facebook—using the hashtag #SOFJO. The hope is that the conversation will extend beyond Vienna, drawing global attention to the persistent vulnerabilities female journalists face online and offline and to the importance of institutional support for their protection.
Reference –
https://www.osce.org/representative-on-freedom-of-media/599688