Phil Towers

Journalism and Media Week at Leeds Trinity University has seen broadcasters and media professionals give advice to students on how to stay safe online.  

The annual event returned last week for its fourteenth year, with a packed line-up of speakers including TV and radio presenter Jeremy Vine and showbusiness journalists Katie Hind and Boyd Hilton.  

Students were given the opportunity to quiz the guests, and social media was the number one theme as they looked for guidance on the way that it has changed working in the industry.  

Katie Hind, Consultant Showbiz Editor at Mail Newspapers, described how sites such as Twitter have enabled celebrities to talk directly with their audience, but with this comes the opportunity for them to face abuse.

When asked how she deals with this herself, she was defiant in her response, asking: “Why should I have to change how I behave because other people can’t behave properly?” 

“It’s really unfair and it can drive you absolutely mad,” she added.

“One of my colleagues gets trolled a lot and she gave me her settings, and so now I don’t see any of it.” 

Noa Hoffman, Political Reporter at The Sun, had a simpler response: “Block!”

She believes that being open to abuse on social media is a part of the job, but as soon as she reads a tweet that is negative about her, she blocks the account so she doesn’t see anything else the writer says. 

It’s not all bad though – several of the contributors described the benefits that social media has brought to the industry.

Alice Taylor, Associate Producer of Tonight on ITV, explained how social media has made it easier to find contributors to their investigations, whilst photographer Lisa Stonehouse explained the potential of using social media as your online portfolio for work. 

With Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk making large numbers of employees redundant, it remains to be seen whether there will be any improvements to online safety in the near future.