When Journalists are Voiceless: How Lifestyle Journalists Cover Hate and Mitigate Harassment

Abstract

Often trivialized within the broader journalistic field, lifestyle journalists would seem to have the dream job: the opportunity to get paid to do what they love. The present study explores an under-discussed but material aspect of the job; namely, how lifestyle journalists undertake issues of hostility. Through the lens of the theory of hostility towards the press and in-depth interviews with lifestyle journalists (n = 24), this study argues that journalists tend to cover issues of hate against their audience members but seek to ignore harassment when directed at them.