“I Empathize With Them”: How Newsroom Leadership Assesses Mental Health and Hostility Toward Their Journalists

Journalists have long faced harassment, but recent research shows the issue growing in intensity and impact. With journalists leaving the profession at alarming rates and harassment having lasting effects—like self-censorship and mental health struggles—it is vital scholars explore how newsroom leadership assesses the issue and what actions they take. Using organizational support theory (OST) as a foundation, a survey of U.S. newsroom leaders working at local TV, print, and public radio institutions was conducted, revealing managers see harassment as an issue, and believe it happens more often than reporters do. However, they continue to take a reactionary (and not proactive) approach to mental health among their staffs, relying on journalists to report their struggles and ask for help.