South by Southwest apologized on Friday for canceling two panels discussing the gaming community in response to threats of violence, and announced that the festival would feature a new daylong summit on online harassment.
“Earlier this week we made a mistake,” SXSW director Hugh Forrest wrote in a statement about the summit. “It is clear that online harassment is a problem that requires more than two panel discussions to address.”
The summit will take place on March 12 and has a lineup of 20 speakers so far. SXSW canceled the original panels due to safety concerns after organizers received online threats from people who vowed to violently disrupt the discussions. That decision was met with a swift backlash, with festival participants including Buzzfeed and Vox Media backing out of attending the festival as a protest.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- Jane Fonda Champions Climate Action for Every Generation
- Biden’s Campaign Is In Trouble. Will the Turnaround Plan Work?
- Why We're Spending So Much Money Now
- The Financial Influencers Women Actually Want to Listen To
- Breaker Sunny Choi Is Heading to Paris
- Why TV Can’t Stop Making Silly Shows About Lady Journalists
- The Case for Wearing Shoes in the House
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Write to Julia Zorthian at julia.zorthian@time.com