SXSW is considering holding an all-day forum on online harassment, Recode reported, after the tech and music festival organizers faced a fierce backlash for canceling panels about harassment and gaming.
Earlier this week, SXSW Interactive announced it was canceling two panels, as I wrote, because of threats of on-site violence that were made over the seven days since the organizers announced the panels.
In response to the cancelation, both BuzzFeed and Vox both said they would boycott the conference and many others took to Twitter to lambast SXSW s decision.
In a statement posted on the festival website on Tuesday under the headline Safety is a Top Priority and So is Your Voice, Hugh Forrest, director of SXSW Interactive SXSW, said the festival had heard people s frustrations, adding:
Moving forward, we are also evaluating several programming solutions as we continue to plan for an event that will be safe, meaningful and enjoyable for all involved.
At issue is GamerGate, a quasi movement that, in its mildest form, attacks the media and gaming critics for trying to sanitize games and gaming culture.
But female critics who have raised questions about sexism in video games and the gaming culture have faced threats of violence.
Above: Elliphant performs onstage during the PANDORA Discovery Den SXSW on March 18, 2015 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for PANDORA Media)
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