Stuff

• But high rates of abuse and threats directed at journalists put us at risk of “mob censorship” – citizen vigilantism that seeks to discipline journalism.
• Our recently published study documents newsworkers’ experiences of abuse and violence at New Zealand’s largest news organisation, Stuff.

A ‘festering heap of toxicity’

• One respondent described her inbox as a “festering heap of toxicity”.
• Overall, men tended to experience more “offline” threats (44% compared to 23% of women) and actual physical violence (16% men compared to 12% women).
• These journalists represented the intersection of both gender and ethnicity – increasing their likelihood of being a target of abuse.

Targets for writing about race

• Simply writing stories about race or racism triggered abuse for the writer, whatever their actual or perceived identity.
• A self-described “white-passing Māori” explained how, after reporting on the dawn raid apology, she received messages calling her things like “white apologist bitch”.
• Several Pākeha women were abused as racists or traitors for using te reo Māori in stories or writing about racism.
• As one person said, “there are [controversial or divisive] stories I’d be less likely to pursue”, including to protect vulnerable sources.

Accepting abuse is not the answer

• More than three-quarters of our respondents considered abuse and threats to be just part of the job.
• There was, though, concern this feeds a “dangerous” and “outdated” professional culture that shuts down frank discussion and causes anxiety.
• Furthermore, some participants were sceptical about the extent of employer commitment to addressing the problem, given the adoption of branding practices such as publishing photo bylines and email addresses, which tended to ramp up online abuse.

Muted watchdogs

• Research from the United States suggests that receiving regular abuse entrenches journalists’ “us versus them” mentality.
• Clearly, democracy itself is undermined by any intimidation or disincentive that stops journalists from performing their watchdog duties.
• Supporting journalists to do their jobs as safely and free from abuse as possible needs to be the industry’s top priority for 2024.

Susan Fountaine does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• DALLAS, Dec. 11, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Shelf Unbound book review magazine has named three of John Crawley's books to their 2023 Notable 100 list.
• This is the first time Crawley's poetry, Of Poets and Old Men, has won the prestigious national award: Notable 100.
• "I'm honored to have three of my books selected for the Shelf Unbound Notable 100 list for 2023," author John Crawley said.
• See the 2023 Notable 100 list here: https://shelfmediagroup.com/portfolio/winter-2023/
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• The week of August 14 marks Gate City Bank's 100-year celebration event, but the bank has celebrated this milestone in many other ways, as well.
• Gate City Bank told its story with Write Stuff Enterprises, the world's leading publisher of books on the evolution of industry and technology.
• With Write Stuff founder Jeffrey Rodengen authoring the publication himself, both organizations worked tirelessly to capture the bank's inspiring history.
• Gate City Bank was determined to do things right.

• MINNEAPOLIS, July 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Alongside community members, project customers and partners, National Grid Renewables hosted a community celebration and Stuff-the-Bus event on July 13, 2022 at the Prairie Wolf Solar Project (Prairie Wolf) in Coles County, Illinois.
• The Prairie Wolf Education Fund is just one example of how National Grid Renewables prioritizes charitable giving and often implements charitable funds for the projects it owns and operates to benefit local community members.
• "The Prairie Wolf Solar Project demonstrates National Grid Renewables' commitment to invest in the American economy, give back to local communities, and help build a more sustainable, clean energy future," stated Blake Nixon, President of National Grid Renewables.
• National Grid Renewables, part of the National Grid Ventures division of National Grid (NYSE: NGG), develops, owns and operates large-scale renewable energy assets across the United States, including solar, wind and energy storage.