Fear of Expressing Opinions Online, Some Journalists ‘Withdrawing’ Themselves: Survey

Some Bangladeshi journalists are increasingly reluctant to express their opinions freely on social media due to fears of threats, harassment and other possible negative consequences, according to a small-scale survey.

The survey, titled “Expression Pulse,” was conducted by Dataful, a private organization working on data journalism. Conducted between August 10 and 25, the survey examined the digital expression experiences of journalists over the previous six months. A total of 22 journalists participated.

According to the findings, 18 of the 22 journalists had refrained from expressing opinions on public-interest issues online because they feared possible consequences. Among them, 13 said they had done so frequently.

The survey also highlighted what it described as a “chilling effect.” All 21 journalists who responded to a question on the issue said that seeing other journalists being attacked or harassed online affected their own willingness to express opinions. Twelve said the impact was significant, while nine reported being affected to some extent.

Journalists said they were avoiding discussions on sensitive issues including politics, political parties and individuals, criticism of the government, religion, communalism, law and order, the economy, foreign policy and sexual violence.

The survey found that 15 of the 22 journalists now feel less comfortable expressing their opinions on social media than they did six months ago. Some also expressed concerns that online harassment, threats, doxxing, reputational damage, professional consequences, legal problems and even threats to their own or their families’ physical safety could extend beyond the digital space.

Thirteen journalists said concerns about negative consequences had affected both their personal expression and professional journalism.

However, Dataful acknowledged that the survey has significant limitations. It was not nationally representative, and participants were not selected randomly. Therefore, its findings cannot be considered representative of all journalists in Bangladesh.