How Entertainment Journalists Manage Online Hate and Harassment

Authors: 

Noel Warford, Oberlin College; Nicholas Farber and Michelle L. Mazurek, University of Maryland

Abstract: 

While most prior literature on journalists and digital safety focuses on political journalists, entertainment journalists (who cover video games, TV, movies, etc.) also experience severe digital-safety threats in the form of persistent harassment. In the decade since the #GamerGate harassment campaign against video games journalists and developers, entertainment journalists have, by necessity, developed strategies to manage this harassment. However, the impact of harassment and the efficacy of these strategies is understudied. In this work, we interviewed nine entertainment journalists to understand their experiences with online hate and harassment and their strategies for managing it. These journalists see harassment as a difficult and inevitable part of their job; they rely primarily on external support rather than technical solutions or platform affordances. These findings suggest much more support is needed to reduce the individual burden of managing harassment.

Open Access Media

USENIX is committed to Open Access to the research presented at our events. Papers and proceedings are freely available to everyone once the event begins. Any video, audio, and/or slides that are posted after the event are also free and open to everyone. Support USENIX and our commitment to Open Access.

BibTeX
@inproceedings {298904,
author = {Noel Warford and Nicholas Farber and Michelle L. Mazurek},
title = {How Entertainment Journalists Manage Online Hate and Harassment},
booktitle = {Twentieth Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security (SOUPS 2024)},
year = {2024},
isbn = {978-1-939133-42-7},
address = {Philadelphia, PA},
pages = {279--295},
url = {https://www.usenix.org/conference/soups2024/presentation/warford},
publisher = {USENIX Association},
month = aug
}