How Journalists Think About the First Amendment Vis-à-Vis Their Coverage of Hate Groups

Authors

• Gregory Perreault, Appalachian State UniversityFollow
• Jonathan Peters, University of Georgia School of LawFollow
• Brett Johnson, University of MissouriFollow
• Leslie Klein, University. of Georgia

Originally published in International Journal of Communication (University of Southern California, 2021).

Abstract

This study, based on in-depth interviews with U.S.-based journalists (n = 18), explores the increasingly fraught circumstances of reporting on hate groups. We examine how journalists think about the First Amendment vis-à-vis their coverage of such groups. Through the lens of media ecology and First Amendment principles and theories, we argue ultimately that journalists who cover hate groups use the First Amendment to identify their place in the journalistic environment.

Repository Citation

Gregory Perreault, Jonathan Peters, Brett Johnson, and Leslie Klein, How Journalists Think About the First Amendment Vis-à-Vis Their Coverage of Hate Groups , 15 International Journal of Communication 4129 (2021),
Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/fac_artchop/1518