Incivility Online: Exploring the Local Newspaper Journalist-Audience Relationship

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  • June 1, 2020
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  • Martin, Andrea
    • Hussman School of Journalism and Media
Abstract
  • Several circumstances have culminated to create an environment where the local newspaper journalist-audience relationship is strained: a newspaper industry in an identity crisis, the rise of participatory journalism ushered in by Web 2.0, and the current heightened political climate. This mixed methods research study sheds light on the experiences of local newspaper journalists when they engage with audiences online, particularly when those interactions become uncivil. Major findings include that the overwhelming majority of local newspaper journalists have encountered or experienced incivility online from their local audiences; reporters and staff writers are very young, fairly new to their roles, and are on the front lines of incivility online; journalists feel a range of emotions when encountering or experiencing incivility online, including sadness, anger, and confusion, however some journalists accept incivility online as “part of the job”; peer support and mentorship in the newsroom is key; what policies on online engagement do exist are vague or narrowly focused on the reputation of the news organization; and journalists believe there definitely is a connection between what President Donald J. Trump says on the national stage and what the local audience says. Prior to this study, local newspaper journalists were an understudied group, and the findings and discussion provide points for reflection for both mass media scholars and the newspaper industry, as a better understanding of practices—both good and bad—can have major implications for the future of local journalism and its place in democracy.
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  • In Copyright
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Advisor
  • Robinson, John
    • Hussman School of Journalism and Media
  • Shell, Elizabeth
  • Kreiss, Daniel
    • Hussman School of Journalism and Media
Degree
  • Master of Arts
Graduation year
  • 2019
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