Student journalists not immune from online hate. They learn from it
For them, it echoes the need for engagement, thoroughness in reporting
Leading the oldest newspaper of historically Black colleges and universities, Jasper Smith has been called an idiot and an administration mouthpiece.
The editor-in-chief at Howard University's The Hilltop was unprepared for handling hate comments as it wasn't covered in her journalism classes.
“I would say the first time that it really hit me for sure was around October during our coverage of the Israel-Gaza war,” Smith said. “I realized for my own mental well-being, I’m probably going to stop reading as many comments.”
The comments directed to The Hilltop extended beyond coverage critique to personal attacks.
Online harassment is a reality confronting journalists, both professional and student alike.
It was cited as the biggest threat by 90% of journalists in the United States, according to a 2019 survey by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Bruce Shapiro, executive director of Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, said it’s more challenging for student journalists due to their “vulnerable” life stage.
“They’re worried about their careers, they deal with threats of personal safety, they don’t have big media institutions around them,” he said. “Of course, it has an emotional impact.”
Student journalists recognized this as a gap in media trust and an understanding of journalism, highlighting the need to better engage with their communities.
Engagement, education needed
For Caleb Wiegandt, a journalism senior at the University of Florida, his reporting on local school closures after a hurricane in 2021 drew accusations of sensationalism and fake news from parents.
“It was definitely an initial shock,” Wiegandt said.
But Wiegandt learned it meant there was the need to build trust and understand community dynamics, especially in politically charged environments like Florida.
“The process of reporting is still pretty mystified in a lot of communities,” he said. “When it turns sour, you just have to be patient with people that probably have never really interacted with journalism in that kind of means.”
At The Hilltop, criticism often stemmed from a misunderstanding of journalistic principles.
Smith recalled instances where readers demanded the paper label the Israel-Hamas war “a genocide.”
She said the paper couldn’t do that from the journalistic standpoint because genocide has to be declared by an international entity.
In a similar backlash, The Hilltop was criticized for including the administration’s comments in a story — a common practice — about its decision to demolish a student garden.
“We’re just doing our job as journalists, which is balanced coverage,” Smith said. “A lot of students have the preconceived notion that the student paper is for students by students, and it only needs to include student perspectives, which isn’t true.”
📊 By the numbers
Study: Professors Jody Santos, Meg Heckman and Myojung Chung at Northeastern University looked into the type and source of harassment 218 journalism students and recent graduates experienced. Here’s what they found:
Most common sources: University officials, followed by community members.
Around one-third faced non-sexual insults or abusive comments.
19% received threats of physical violence.
10% faced threats of sexual violence.
Race and gender influenced harassment type:
Black students were more likely targets of sexual violence.
Asian students were more likely to receive threats of academic or professional retaliation.
Female students were more likely to encounter violent, sexualized harassment.
A reminder to be thorough
For Alex Walters, a senior reporter of The State News at Michigan State University, hate comments are easy to ignore as long as he’s confident with his reporting.
He said stories that tend to attract negative reactions are stories that revolve around heated national issues, such as the outlet’s coverage of an on-campus shooting last year.
“My reaction to it is completely dependent on my level of comfort with the story,” Walters said. “And I’m at a point where every story I write, I try to be incredibly thorough and fair.”
He advised aspiring journalists to prioritize accuracy and diligence, which in turn bolsters confidence in the face of criticism.
Feedback is important
In dealing with feedback, the consensus among student journalists is clear: Distinguish constructive criticism from personal attacks.
Smith: Engage with feedback from knowledgeable sources like professors and advisors. “I’m not going to let people bully me on the internet.”
Walters: Assess if the email sender read your article. If they’re talking about something that isn’t there, they probably didn’t read it. Don’t engage.
Wiegandt: Many student journalists live within their campus bubble, often unaware of the realities people behind those angry messages face. It’s important to understand the impact of your work on real people.
🎓 J-schools must prep students
Here’s another consensus: Journalism schools aren’t doing enough.
PEN America Senior Manager for Digital Safety & Free Expression Jeje Mohamed said weaving lessons on online safety into the curriculum is crucial for students to navigate abuse.
“If we start these conversations early in classes, it becomes better, builds resilience between each other,” she said. “It also can change the culture that online abuse is harmful.”
Letting students figure it out on their own burns them out, Smith said.
Indeed. About 40% of students quit reporting jobs or dropped journalism classes due to harassment, according to the Northeastern survey.
Walters said a strong support system is needed — something Mohamed echoed.
“Because it can shake you,” Walters said, “especially when you’re writing your first couple of good big stories and you’ve got somebody telling you how awful you are.”
📧 Getting hate mail? Here’s what to do
Dominating coverage of ongoing campus turmoils comes with more exposure to mean readers. I asked PEN America’s Mohamed and Dart Center’s Shapiro for coping tips. Here’s what they shared:
Heighten your online privacy setting:
Set up separate accounts for personal and professional use.
Set up two-factor authentication.
Remove as much identifying information as possible.
Turn off location sharing.
Talk to someone — such as your advisors or local media groups — right away because they should have your back.
Report physical threats to campus safety.
Unsubscribe to news alerts you don’t need.
Don’t always be on X. Touch some grass. Look at the sky.
“It’s important to get other images in your head,” Shapiro said.
🔔 Reminder: “If you’re facing online abuse, it’s important to know this is not your fault and you’re not alone,” Mohamed said.
Story Spotlight:
📰 A statement from the Pulitzer Prize Board: The board “would like to recognize the tireless efforts of student journalists across our nation’s college campuses, who are covering protests and unrest in the face of great personal and academic risk.” It added, “These students worked to document a major national news event under difficult and dangerous circumstances and at risk of arrest.”
A thank you to student journalists (Betul Tuncer/The Pitt News): In her farewell column as the paper’s top editor, Tuncer shed light on student journalists across the country who are “working twice as hard” with their ground reporting.
“They did so before this week. And they will continue to do so, even when the national cameras turn elsewhere,” she wrote.
🚨 If you’re covering a protest, the Student Press Law Center has tips about your rights and how to stay safe while doing so.
Featured Opportunities:
The SPJ and SPLC are hosting a webinar on rights and legal information for visual journalists covering campus protests May 7.
The Jed Foundation is seeking young content creators for freelance assignments around mental health well-being and suicide prevention.
iHeart Media has multiple internship openings in New York including one for the Elvis Duran Morning Show.
The Journalism Institute at the National Press Club is hosting a webinar on how to trans and LGBTQ+ issues in 2024 on May 10.
Outliner Media is hiring a Michigan photojournalist intern for the summer. The deadline is May 17.
Apple News and the National Association of Black Journalists seek a recent graduate or early-career journalist for a fellowship. Apply before May 17.
Cincinnati Public Radio is seeking an intern for its Democracy & Me project. Apply before May 27.
ONA accepts applications for its HBCU Digital Media Fellowship. Apply before May 30.
Press Forward’s first open call for funding is live, and college publications are eligible too for around $100,000. The application closes June 12.
Applications are now open for The New York Times Corps until June 27. It’s a two-year mentorship program aimed at students from underrepresented groups.
I want to hear from you: How do you deal with hate comments? How has journalism affected your mental health? How do you cope? Is your student publication doing something cool that you’d like to share? Reach me at nutgrafnews@substack.com. I will respond! Also, please share.