Sky Sports has adopted a number of new measures aimed at tackling online abuse and hate across social platforms.
The accompanying video shown above has been produced by Sky, showing various Sky presenters talking about the abuse they have faced online. The video ending ‘Hate won’t stop us’.
Over 40 million users are engaged on Sky Sports’ channels on digital and social media platforms, with a recent spike showing a rise in hateful comments made revolving around race, colour, gender, nationality, ethnicity, disability, religion, sexuality, age and class and the impact it has had on them.
Since last week Sky Sports has committed to a series of actions:
- Using the power of its reach and voice to highlight the scale of online hate and abuse and the damage that it can inflict upon people
- Removing as many abusive and hateful comments posted on skysports.com and our channels on social media platforms as we can;
- Blocking users using hateful speech on digital and social media platforms
- Reporting hate and abuse to the social media platforms; and in the most serious cases, to the relevant authorities
- Commissioning journalism that ‘shines a light on social injustices and inequality in sport’.
- Working with social media platforms and policymakers to make their platforms safer and more respectful
Mark Alford, Director of Sky Sports News & Digital Publishing said: “We’re proud to talk about sport with more than 40 million users of Sky Sports social and digital platforms across the world. We love to see the passion for sport when we engage with sports fans discussing and debating subjects that mean so much to them.
“Unfortunately, there is a small minority who use digital platforms to post hate, abuse and profanity against our content and our people. This needs to stop. We would like the major social media companies to do more to stop harmful content on their platforms. They have the best tools and visibility to act against abusive or hateful comments and owe a duty of care to their users. The onus should be on the social media platforms to behave like responsible publishers.
“We commit to making skysports.com free from abuse and will strive to make our channels on social media a safer space for all sports fans.”
