Who Teaches About Hostility? Examining Factors for Inclusion in Journalism Curriculum.

This article examines how journalism instructors at U.S. colleges and universities accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) address hostility toward the press in their teaching. Despite widespread recognition among instructors that hostility—including online abuse, threats, and harassment—is a significant challenge for journalists and student journalists, the study finds that most rarely include this topic in their curricula. Instructors who have personally experienced hostility as professional journalists, particularly women, report greater confidence (teacher efficacy) in teaching about it and are more likely to incorporate related content into their courses. The findings suggest a need for journalism education programs and accrediting bodies to integrate instruction on journalist safety, well-being, and coping with hostility more systematically to better prepare students for the realities of the profession.