ABSTRACT
Journalism has turned into a two-way street where engaging with audiences online via comments on news sites and on social media is the norm. The media—through news stories and even online comments—reinforce the viewpoints, creating an inaccurate view of race. Some media organizations have required that commenters use a real name or register to prevent incivility, but that does little to prevent abuse on social media. The online vitriol that all journalists face and that particularly targets women is heightened for female journalists of color. Few news organizations had programs to directly deal with the issue, or resources to moderate and monitor comments on social media. The reinforcing power of the dominant group, White men, casts female journalists of color as the other online, interrupting the ease with which they can do their jobs. Engaging online is part of a journalist’s job, and news organizations must make the spaces safer.
