On World Press Freedom Day, new threats to journalists surge

Journalists have long been targeted for truth-telling; but the methods deployed to silence independent reporting have broadened.

Two sinister and distinct trends in harassment have emerged: the onslaught of online abuse targeting — in particular — women journalists, and the weaponisation of laws against media practitioners.

Both are driven by malign influencers desperate to control an ever-more valuable currency: the free flow of information. But increasingly it's the person rath...