WOMEN IN NEWS: HOW VIEWERS PERCEIVE FEMALE BROADCASTERS AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS DURING THEIR ON-AIR CAREER

Abstract

This qualitative study explores and gives a voice to women in television newsrooms who are more often than their male counterparts subjected to sexual harassment in the field and online. Online trolls have plagued the careers and mental health of many women working in television news. Female news reporters and anchors have found themselves as the targets of that personal criticism, inappropriate, or sometimes violent comments from social media users. The female participants in this qualitative study represent nearly all 50 states and television markets. All participants in this study reported negative interactions with social media and audiences. This research is part of a growing body of knowledge of how negative and sexually explicit viewer messages affect female broadcasters on multiple levels. Results suggest female news reporters and anchors are at the forefront of heavy criticism and inappropriate comments from social media users. This has forced some women out of the industry or created a workplace they deem toxic and unsafe.