Bouncing Back from an Internet Drubbing
22.02.12
Woke up today and had 938 hate mails, 646 nasty Facebook comments, and dozens of mean-spirited tweets."
In the five days before Lisa Khoury, 19, wrote this introduction to a follow-up to her first ever op-ed column an anti-tattoo article she had been called "ignorant," "worthless," "brainwashed," "classless," "disgusting," "hypocritical" and "judgmental" (and much, much more!) by Internet commenters from around the world.
Initially, Khoury says she thought the piece would be her last. "I was considering taking down the article," she says. "I didn't know what to do with myself. I just started reading all of the comments and taking them personally."
But instead of announcing her early retirement from journalism in the wake of the pummeling, Khoury says the experience has left her feeling "blessed."
"As a journalist, I just feel fortunate," she says. "I've experienced something not all journalists will ever experience in their careers....
Source: American Journalism Review