This week on Backchannel, we published a feature by the journalist Lindsay Jones that tells the story of Melissa Trixie Watt, a Canadian woman who endured years of identity theft and obscene online harassment. Her name and images were used to create profiles on various websites, and the creator of those profiles engaged in conversations with other users, often revealing personal details about Watt and making arrangements for sexual acts. Most people subjected to such harassment also face inadequate recourse—ways to make abusers stop, let alone heal and move on. Watt's story follows her frustrated efforts to get the police to address her case and what became a crusade to help others in a similar position. All along the process of getting this story to publication was a recurring question: What more is there to say about online harassment? We've seen stories about the staggering amount of harassment that's directed at women, children, people who identify as LGBTQ, and people of color. And we've heard stories about how often online harassment spills into real-life violence. What else is there to say? One truthful answer is that there may not be anything else to say. Watt's story shows us that sometimes there's only something to be done.– Matthew McKnight | Features Editor |
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