Harassment Response Tool — Next Steps for UK Journalists Facing Abuse

Harassment aimed at reporters arrives when you are least able to think clearly about process, and the reporting routes are split across police, platforms, the ICO and your own employer. Having the sequence written down before you need it is most of the value.

Last reviewed: 24 August 2026Next review due: 24 August 2027

Harassment Response Flowchart

A step-by-step guide for UK journalists facing harassment, abuse or threats connected to their work. Answer the questions below for tailored next steps.

Step 1 of 3

What type of threat or harassment are you facing?

Not legal advice. This tool provides general guidance only. If you are in immediate danger, call 999. For non-emergency police reporting, call 101. Always seek advice from your employer, the NUJ, or a solicitor for your specific situation.

How it works

Three questions in sequence: the type of threat (physical, online abuse, doxxing, stalking or persistent harassment), how severe it is (mild, serious, or crime-worthy), and where it is happening (five social platforms, email, phone or in person).
Severity sets the headline action: 999 for crime-level or any non-mild physical threat, 101 or online reporting for serious, and “no immediate emergency response required” otherwise.
It assembles the step list by rule — evidence capture and telling your editor always; varying your routine for physical threats and stalking; platform takedown and search-engine removal for doxxing; a platform report naming the service you selected; Action Fraud for persistent or above-mild cases; an ICO complaint where personal data has been misused; NUJ and Glitch UK for support; and a crime reference number at crime level.
It attaches the statutes that match your answers: the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 every time, the Malicious Communications Act 1988 for physical or crime-level, Communications Act 2003 s.127 for phone, email or online, and the Online Safety Act 2023 for online, doxxing or persistent harassment.

When to use it

In the first hour after a threat arrives, when you need the evidence-capture and reporting order in front of you.
When a pile-on starts and you are deciding whether this is a platform report, a police report, or both.
After a doxxing incident, to work through takedown, search-engine removal and locking down what else is exposed.
Briefing an editor or a freelance colleague who has never had to report harassment before.

What it does not do

It is a three-question form, not a decision tree. Nothing you answer changes which question comes next — the whole rule set runs once at the end.
The platform you pick mostly changes wording. Select “in person” alongside a physical threat and your answer to that question changes nothing in the output.
It is general information about UK law, not legal advice, and it says so on screen. It does not assess whether an offence has been committed, whether police will act, or whether a prosecution is likely.
It keeps no record. The incident log — dated screenshots, URLs, usernames, report references and any police reference — is the thing that decides whether anything happens later, and you have to build that yourself.
If you are in immediate danger, ring 999 rather than working through a form.

More tools

This is one of the free tools on UK JournoHub. See the full tools index for the rest.

Primary sources

Protection from Harassment Act 1997— legislation.gov.uk
Communications Act 2003 s.127— legislation.gov.uk
Malicious Communications Act 1988— legislation.gov.uk
Online Safety Act 2023— legislation.gov.uk