diff --git a/website/server/libs/chatReporting/chatReporter.js b/website/server/libs/chatReporting/chatReporter.js
index 5ed7971316..af44748d0b 100644
--- a/website/server/libs/chatReporting/chatReporter.js
+++ b/website/server/libs/chatReporting/chatReporter.js
@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
-import {
-} from '../errors';
-import { getUserInfo } from '../email';
+import { getGroupUrl, getUserInfo } from '../email';
 import { getAuthorEmailFromMessage } from '../chat';
 
 export default class ChatReporter {
@@ -11,27 +9,51 @@ export default class ChatReporter {
 
   async validate () {}
 
-  async notify (group, message) {
-    const reporterEmailContent = getUserInfo(this.user, ['email']).email;
-    this.authorEmail = await getAuthorEmailFromMessage(message);
-    this.emailVariables = [
+  async getMessageVariables (group, message) {
+    const reporterEmail = getUserInfo(this.user, ['email']).email;
+
+    const authorVariables = await this.getAuthorVariables(message);
+    const groupUrl = getGroupUrl(group);
+
+    return [
       {name: 'MESSAGE_TIME', content: (new Date(message.timestamp)).toString()},
       {name: 'MESSAGE_TEXT', content: message.text},
 
       {name: 'REPORTER_DISPLAYNAME', content: this.user.profile.name},
       {name: 'REPORTER_USERNAME', content: this.user.auth.local.username},
       {name: 'REPORTER_UUID', content: this.user._id},
-      {name: 'REPORTER_EMAIL', content: reporterEmailContent},
+      {name: 'REPORTER_EMAIL', content: reporterEmail},
       {name: 'REPORTER_MODAL_URL', content: `/static/front/#?memberId=${this.user._id}`},
 
-      {name: 'AUTHOR_DISPLAYNAME', content: message.user},
-      {name: 'AUTHOR_USERNAME', content: message.username},
-      {name: 'AUTHOR_UUID', content: message.uuid},
-      {name: 'AUTHOR_EMAIL', content: this.authorEmail},
-      {name: 'AUTHOR_MODAL_URL', content: `/static/front/#?memberId=${message.uuid}`},
+      ...authorVariables,
+
+      {name: 'GROUP_NAME', content: group.name},
+      {name: 'GROUP_TYPE', content: group.type},
+      {name: 'GROUP_ID', content: group._id},
+      {name: 'GROUP_URL', content: groupUrl || 'N/A'},
     ];
   }
 
+  createGenericAuthorVariables (prefix, {user, username, uuid, email}) {
+    return [
+      {name: `${prefix}_DISPLAYNAME`, content: user},
+      {name: `${prefix}_USERNAME`, content: username},
+      {name: `${prefix}_UUID`, content: uuid},
+      {name: `${prefix}_EMAIL`, content: email},
+      {name: `${prefix}_MODAL_URL`, content: `/static/front/#?memberId=${uuid}`},
+    ];
+  }
+
+  async getAuthorVariables (message) {
+    this.authorEmail = await getAuthorEmailFromMessage(message);
+    return this.createGenericAuthorVariables('AUTHOR', {
+      user: message.user,
+      username: message.username,
+      uuid: message.uuid,
+      email: this.authorEmail,
+    });
+  }
+
   async flag () {
     throw new Error('Flag must be implemented');
   }
diff --git a/website/server/libs/chatReporting/groupChatReporter.js b/website/server/libs/chatReporting/groupChatReporter.js
index 6b2e8600d8..3f0478e02c 100644
--- a/website/server/libs/chatReporting/groupChatReporter.js
+++ b/website/server/libs/chatReporting/groupChatReporter.js
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import {
   BadRequest,
   NotFound,
 } from '../errors';
-import { getGroupUrl, sendTxn } from '../email';
+import { sendTxn } from '../email';
 import slack from '../slack';
 import { model as Group } from '../../models/group';
 import { chatModel as Chat } from '../../models/message';
@@ -50,16 +50,12 @@ export default class GroupChatReporter extends ChatReporter {
   }
 
   async notify (group, message, userComment, automatedComment = '') {
-    await super.notify(group, message);
-
-    const groupUrl = getGroupUrl(group);
-    sendTxn(FLAG_REPORT_EMAILS, 'flag-report-to-mods-with-comments', this.emailVariables.concat([
-      {name: 'GROUP_NAME', content: group.name},
-      {name: 'GROUP_TYPE', content: group.type},
-      {name: 'GROUP_ID', content: group._id},
-      {name: 'GROUP_URL', content: groupUrl},
+    let emailVariables = await this.getMessageVariables(group, message);
+    emailVariables = emailVariables.concat([
       {name: 'REPORTER_COMMENT', content: userComment || ''},
-    ]));
+    ]);
+
+    sendTxn(FLAG_REPORT_EMAILS, 'flag-report-to-mods-with-comments', emailVariables);
 
     slack.sendFlagNotification({
       authorEmail: this.authorEmail,
diff --git a/website/server/libs/chatReporting/inboxChatReporter.js b/website/server/libs/chatReporting/inboxChatReporter.js
index 4c2823ecca..207b570fd3 100644
--- a/website/server/libs/chatReporting/inboxChatReporter.js
+++ b/website/server/libs/chatReporting/inboxChatReporter.js
@@ -5,11 +5,12 @@ import ChatReporter from './chatReporter';
 import {
   BadRequest,
 } from '../errors';
-import { getGroupUrl, sendTxn } from '../email';
+import { getUserInfo, sendTxn} from '../email';
 import slack from '../slack';
 import apiError from '../apiError';
 
 import * as inboxLib from '../inbox';
+import {getAuthorEmailFromMessage} from '../chat';
 
 const FLAG_REPORT_EMAILS = nconf.get('FLAG_REPORT_EMAIL').split(',').map((email) => {
   return { email, canSend: true };
@@ -48,16 +49,12 @@ export default class InboxChatReporter extends ChatReporter {
       _id: 'N/A',
     };
 
-    await super.notify(group, message);
-
-    const groupUrl = getGroupUrl(group);
-    sendTxn(FLAG_REPORT_EMAILS, 'flag-report-to-mods-with-comments', this.emailVariables.concat([
-      {name: 'GROUP_NAME', content: group.name},
-      {name: 'GROUP_TYPE', content: group.type},
-      {name: 'GROUP_ID', content: group._id},
-      {name: 'GROUP_URL', content: groupUrl || 'N/A'},
+    let emailVariables = await this.getMessageVariables(group, message);
+    emailVariables = emailVariables.concat([
       {name: 'REPORTER_COMMENT', content: userComment || ''},
-    ]));
+    ]);
+
+    sendTxn(FLAG_REPORT_EMAILS, 'flag-report-to-mods-with-comments', emailVariables);
 
     slack.sendInboxFlagNotification({
       authorEmail: this.authorEmail,
@@ -67,6 +64,33 @@ export default class InboxChatReporter extends ChatReporter {
     });
   }
 
+  async getAuthorVariables (message) {
+    const messageUser = {
+      user: message.user,
+      username: message.username,
+      uuid: message.uuid,
+      email: await getAuthorEmailFromMessage(message),
+    };
+
+    const reporter = {
+      user: this.user.profile.name,
+      username: this.user.auth.local.username,
+      uuid: this.user._id,
+      email: getUserInfo(this.user, ['email']).email,
+    };
+
+    // if message.sent, the reporter is the author of this message
+    const sendingUser = message.sent ? reporter : messageUser;
+    const recipient = message.sent ? messageUser : reporter;
+
+    this.authorEmail = sendingUser.email;
+
+    return [
+      ...this.createGenericAuthorVariables('AUTHOR', sendingUser),
+      ...this.createGenericAuthorVariables('RECIPIENT', recipient),
+    ];
+  }
+
   updateMessageAndSave (message, ...changedFields) {
     for (const changedField of changedFields) {
       message.markModified(changedField);