"Lilla gumman" : - En kvalitativ studie av kvinnliga journalisters upplevelse av näthat beroende på bevakningsområde

Sammanfattning: This paper examines the increased hate online and its implications for journalism. The purpose of this paper is to examine online hate towards Swedish female journalists’ and how it differs depending on areas of coverage. The questions raised, which this study aims to answer, are: What are Swedish, female journalists experiences of online hate? How does the experiences of online hate differ in amount and intensity depending on areas of coverage? How are Swedish, female journalists affected by online hate? What strategies do Swedish, female journalists use to cope with online hate? The paper will take on a feminist perspective using theories on the public sphere, the purposes of online hate as well as theories on the gender logic of the journalistic field. The study consists of qualitative interviews with eight female journalists working with different areas of coverage on different Swedish media platforms. The results show patterns of normalisation and acceptance towards online hate for many of the participants. The participants who work with hard news are more exposed to online hate that aim to undermine their competence as journalists, but all participants could give examples of hate that specifically targets them as women. Areas of coverage showed to be the determining factor in how much hate was directed towards the participants and subjects such as immigration, the extreme right and xenophobia turned out to be the biggest triggers for online haters. The consequences of online hate for the participants includes more caution when covering triggering subjects. Avoiding social media or even their own email inboxes are used as strategies to escape online hate. The consequences of online hate towards female journalists are important to examine from a democratic point of view as the online hate, in some cases, can lead to silencing och self-censorship and therefore also a threat towards democracy.