Online harassment targeting journalists has escalated into a global crisis. Across digital public spheres, it threatens press freedom and individual safety.
In Kenya, this hostility often unfolds on social media platforms like X and Facebook, where journalists covering politically sensitive events face coordinated attacks. For instance, following critical coverage of state policies or public protests, journalists are regularly branded as “political mercenaries” or “traitors” in comment threads, prompting audiences to swarm their personal accounts with threats.