It is “necessary” to better prepare journalism trainees for the realities of increasingly “vile” online abuse they could face, according to a new report.
The study, published in the Journal of the Association for Journalism Education, found that abuse has become “more commonplace, more vile and more serious” in ways that can impact young journalists’ emotional well-being and lead them to doubt their abilities.
It said: “Opening up conversation during journalism training is therefore vital to prepare students for what they might face. But we do hope that one day, this training will not be necessary at all.”
The study was carried out by Jenny Kean, who leads the MA Journalism programme at Leeds Trinity University, and Yorkshire Evening Post reporter Abbey Maclure. They interviewed 13 journalists about their experiences to gather advice about how journalism institutions should treat the issue and how trainees can use social media without it ruining the start of their careers.
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Source: Journalism trainees ‘need training’ to handle online abuse | Press Gazette