Digital hate, real violence: journalistic storytelling against online sexism

Gender-based violence does not occur only in physical spaces: today it also takes new and pervasive forms in the digital sphere, where misogyny finds fertile ground and increasingly sophisticated tools. From online hate campaigns to surveillance technologies such as stalkerware, to the structural gaps in data on femicides in Italy, journalism must ask itself how to make these phenomena visible—phenomena that are becoming ever more systemic and normalized in social life. In this panel, three journalists who have long worked on these issues will share their experiences and investigations, discussing how the media can address such complex dynamics responsibly and effectively, without resorting to simplifications, stereotypes, or victim-blaming. It is a necessary conversation at a time when current events in Italy serve as a stark reminder of how deeply these dynamics affect everyday life and the democratic resilience of our public sphere.