Conference: Ridicule, Abuse and Trolling – How to handle online harassment

by Gerard Cunningham • August 25, 2015 • Comments Off

RIDICULE, ABUSE AND TROLLING – How to handle online harassment: This seminar for NUJ members includes a keynote by Dr Eoin O’Dell of TCD’s School of Law on the Higgins and Rabbite e-communication bills along with inputs from Sinead O’Carroll, news editor with TheJournal.ie, Karlin Lillington, Irish Times tech journalist, barrister Fergal Crehan along with plenty of time for questions and answers sessions.

It takes place on Saturday, September 5, Connolly Room, Liberty Hall, Dublin 1, 12 noon till 4pm. Book your place now with EventBrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/d/ireland/how-to-handle-online-abuse/

And if you have any queries, contact Therese Caherty at tcaherty@yahoo.com

Introduction / welcome – Therese Caherty

12 noon – 1.30pm

A Question of Balance: Free Speech and Online Abuse
with Dr Eoin O’Dell, School of Law, TCD

Eoin O’Dell examines the Rabbitte and Higgins Bills on e-communication, particularly in relation to the need to protect and reflect the importance of free speech. He also touches on legal avenues open to those who experience online harassment.

Keynote followed by Q & A

2.15pm – 4pm

Panel Discussion
Chaired by Gerard Cunningham, Dublin Freelance Branch

Feedback or Trolling? How digital journalists cope with the online community
Sinead O’Carroll, news editor, TheJournal

Out of Harm’s Way: Tech tools to keep you safe online
Karlin Lillington, technology journalist, The Irish Times

Online Harrassment – Rights, responsibilities and legal solutions
Fergal Crehan, BL

Block Rockin Tweets – Women & the Takedown of Trolls
Fiona Kenny, online writer, social media manager & trainer

← Journalists invited to explore development issues with Simon Cumbers Media Fund

Freelance Branch meeting 7 September 2015 →

Lyra McKee Bursary Scheme 2025

Applications for the #CIJLyraMcKee Bursary Scheme 2025 are now OPEN!

The #CIJLyraMcKee Bursary Scheme was established in memory of the young and courageous Northern Irish investigative journalist Lyra McKee, who was shot dead by dissident republicans in Derry in April 2019.

The aim of this five-month bursary scheme is to train and mentor people from underrepresented backgrounds, who aspire to become journalists or who are at the very early stages of their journalism career.

Full details of the Lyra McKee Bursary Scheme 2025.

Six things we learned from the Freelance Journalism Assembly

Despite the increasing challenges, freelancers continue to be a vital workforce within the journalism space.
Freelancers produce independent, quality and innovative journalism that promotes healthy democracies, ignites public debate and brings the powerful to account. However, to this day, there is no statistical evidence for the number of active freelance journalists in Europe. Nor is there a concise overview available of the opportunities, working conditions, and legal frameworks for freelance journalists, and how these differ between the various European countries.

Must-Know Irish Deadlines

A simple guide to Irish Media Deadlines by MediaHQ. Aimed at PR professioals, but also useful information for freelancers looking to send in pitches.

A handbook for pitching development stories

The European Journalism Centre’s guide to pitching development stories as a freelance journalist is based on real-world advice and experience from both editors who receive pitches and freelance journalists who send them.

The guide is primarily intended to support freelance journalists in improving their pitches and chances of being commissioned and/or hired by news organisations and publishers. We know that editors receive a high volume of pitches and truly hope this handbook helps you prepare winning pitches that stand out from the crowd and can improve your stories on development issues.

Download the free guide from the Freeance Journalism Assembly.

Setting Up As A Freelance

When most of us start submitting articles to as many outlets as we can find to commission them, you probably don’t see yourself as a ‘business’. You’re just grafting, trying to earn a few bob and hoping each story won’t be your last.
Many young freelancers will be holding down other work, maybe not journalistic, just to make ends meet. Others will be providing services for free, interning in the hopes of being held on.
But you are a business, at least in the eyes of the Revenue Commissioners. And as such, you need to structure your working week.
Read more here.

Why You Should Turn Your Investigative Report into an eBook

The Missouri School of Journalism’s Roger Fidler has been developing journalism eBooks, or “newsbooks”, since 2001. He tells ICIJ how eBooks make investigative journalism easier to access and read on mobile devices, and could provide a valuable revenue stream.
Read more here.

Four Questions Freelancers Should Ask Before Accepting Their Next Gig

As freelancers, our instinct is to grab every gig that comes our way. Personally, I’ve never found it easy to decline work, especially if I’ve said yes to similar jobs in the past. But how will that short-term paycheck affect my long-term career goals?
Read more here.

Credit Control for Freelances

Credit control is something every small business has to deal with, and freelance journalists are no exception. At some point in your career, you will find yourself dealing with late paying clients, clients who are slow to pay, and sometimes, clients who just refuse to pay.
Read more here.