The study “Every Journalist has an Achilles’ Heel: The Interference–Vulnerability Model” by Lea Stahel from University of Zurich typologized journalistic interference to three types based on the journalists’ characteristics, seeking to explain external interference comprehensively and counter threats to journalistic autonomy.
Journalists in the World face threats at an increasing rate, not just journalists in authoritarian regimes who face obvious threats such as imprisonment, but also in Western democracies. As Hiltunen and Suuronen (see their research summarized here in JRN) have defined it, external interference includes “all [the] active and invasive methods [that] actors external to journalistic organizations use to interfere in the journalistic process and/or influence journalists and/or editorial content”
Despite the ample research on the topic, no comprehensive model on why journalists face different types of harassment at different frequencies. This study seeks to fill that gap in research by proposing three categories of harassment and looking on when they occur, based on current research.
The three categories of interference were professional interference, such as denying journalists access to information networks; economic interference which consisted of things such as bribery or promises of advertisement revenue or threats to remove them; and violent interference that threatened physical safety.
The empirical confirmation for the model came from a survey of 567 journalists in Switzerland. The survey population consisted of “employed and freelance journalists from various media in German-, French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland, including television and radio, newspapers, magazines, and news agencies”.
It was found out that professional interference was targeted at journalists who publish sensitive and investigative topics, journalists that are vulnerable due to uncertain access to sensitive information. Economic interference on the other hand was targeted at journalists who are financially vulnerable who cover consumer related news. Finally, violent interference was targeted at journalists who are vulnerable due to their identities: women and minorities.
The author notes that the results can contribute to the development of measures against interference. Firstly, journalists may be helped to build resilience against interference by tailored counterstrategies based on their vulnerabilities.
Secondly, journalistic organizations can establish mechanisms to ensure the independence of journalism, including transparent financing and avoidance of economic pressure from advertisers.
Thirdly, diversity at the workplace increases the peer support for journalists targeted because of their identities, increasing their resilience. Lastly, governments may introduce or tighten laws to protect journalists.
The limitations of the study were mostly related to the survey methodology used – self-selection, participating in the survey more than once, and issues of self-reporting. In addition, the types of interference were based on existing studies and there might be more.
The article “Every Journalist has an Achilles’ Heel: The Interference–Vulnerability Model” by Lea Stahel is in Journalism Studies. (open access).
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