Journalism in the UK carries real safety risks — abuse, threats, and legal intimidation that can affect wellbeing and, in some cases, push journalists toward self-censorship or out of the profession. Women, ethnic minority, and LGBTQ+ journalists face particularly high risk, but an up-to-date, systematic picture of the problem has been missing. 

Alma Economics was commissioned by DCMS to provide that evidence, supporting the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists in its work to improve protections. Our research set out to quantify how widespread safety concerns are, identify the types of harm journalists face and when they occur, examine who is most at risk, explore the impact on wellbeing and careers, and assess how well existing reporting mechanisms work. 

We combined a UK-wide survey — 531 responses collected between December 2025 and February 2026 — with 55 in-depth, trauma-informed interviews with journalists recruited from the survey. The survey gave us scale: a clear picture of prevalence and who is most affected. The interviews gave us depth, capturing how abuse and threats play out day to day and how journalists navigate reporting and support. 

➥ The full report can be found here.