This Reporter is so Ugly, How can She Appear on TV?

Abstract

In Taiwan, 25 professional female journalists were interviewed, to understand how they negotiate gender and professional identities online and offline through the lens of Shoemaker and Reese’s media routines and the socialization theory as articulated by Rodgers and Thorson. The findings suggest that while Taiwanese women journalists found that gender in some aspects of reporting is an asset, gendered harassment online and incivility in the digital sphere are important issues with which they have to contend. Comments on stories and professional identities online primarily focused on their looks and physical attributes. They were openly uncivil and abusive. Such incivility affected normal journalistic routines and prevented them from being impartial conveyors of information. Not just online abuse but cultural norms that expect women to be subservient deterred them from promoting stories on personal social media and negatively affected their coverage of controversial issues. In some cases, though gender provided certain advantages, the participants were aware that these gains were limited and ultimately patriarchal in nature. Although the study’s primary focus is on Taiwan, the analysis is applicable beyond national boundaries.

KEYWORDS:

• Gender
• harassment
• incivility
• socialization
• Taiwan