Joe Biden’s administration has allocated a significant sum of money to aid journalists who consider themselves victims of “misinformation-driven harassment campaigns.”
A total of $5.7 million in grant funds has been given to George Washington University for the development of a program aiming to offer psychological support to such journalists.
This initiative, known as Expert Voices Together, is designed as a socio-technical system offering real-time assistance to individuals enduring online harassment. The primary aim of the project is to equip journalists and eventually other “experts,” with tools to observe and report alleged abuse. Moreover, it also aims to provide them with personalized digital safety measures and access to mental health care specialists as part of trauma-informed care.
Notably, some journalists have publicly expressed their distress over the alleged harassment they face on social media platforms. Taylor Lorenz, a tech reporter at the Washington Post, shared her experiences of online bullying during an interview, describing it as “horrifying.”
In 2021, the National Science Foundation (NSF) initially designated $749,222 in funding for this cause at George Washington University. The project was green-lighted for continuity in 2022, with an additional $5 million in taxpayer funds allocated. The work associated with the grant is still ongoing and is expected to conclude by August 2024.
The NSF views this provision of mental health counseling for journalists as a method to tackle the swift spread of misinformation. They believe that harassment can shake confidence in critical sources of knowledge and reduce expert participation in the information ecosystem.
The Poynter Institute has also played a role in administering a trial program for the platform. Newsrooms that have identified staff safety and well-being as a key priority were offered $5,000 to try out the service.
The conservative Daily Caller News Foundation made efforts to reach out to the head researcher of the project and the Poynter Institute for comment but the NSF chose not to comment.
