Journalists’ Harassment Experience Influencing Coping and Job Satisfaction in Korea: The Moderating Role of Organizational Support and Gender Differences

Applying the transactional theory of stress and coping, this study examined the relationships among Korean journalists’ stressors from audience-related harassment, coping strategies, organizational support, and job satisfaction, in addition to gender differences. A survey of 2,011 Korean journalists found that their stressors were associated with high coping and low job satisfaction. Korean journalists’ coping strategies did not enhance job satisfaction, questioning the success of coping. Instead, active organizational support played a crucial moderating role in improving low job satisfaction. The results imply that Korean journalists’ coping appears not to be fulfilled without organizational intervention. In gender differences, women journalists experienced more online harassment, while men experienced more face-to-face confrontations. These findings suggest that Korean news organizations should implement tailored support programs to address and improve hostility toward journalists. News organizations need to reevaluate journalists’ coping and provide follow-up solutions. As men and women journalists experience differing harassment, organizational attention to gender needs to be customized. Further implications in global journalism contexts were discussed.