Watch as news anchors read viewer comments and troll haters
Missouri newscaster Carissa Codell made headlines after she responded to hateful comments online about her appearance.
Carissa Codell has had a lot of bad things said to her by viewers of the Missouri news program she anchors. But she found a funny way to return the applause.
The 26-year-old reporter, who appears on KOLR 10 and FOX 49’s morning show “Ozarks First” in Springfield and Branson, Missouri, began posting on social media earlier this year after reading disrespectful online comments about her appearance on camera. At the time, she just wanted to increase her online presence by showing her personality.
She never imagined that this video would receive millions of views around the world and resonate with so many others.
“We brainstormed here with the team and said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it with news audio. Let’s get it in the studio. Let’s do a little production,'” Coderre told USA TODAY. “And somehow it’s just starting now. It’s still wild to me.”
A newscaster reads viewers’ mean comments in an anchor voice.
In the video, Coderre can be seen standing in front of a monitor displaying the comments, reading them out in a so-called news anchor voice. Sometimes co-workers joke behind their backs, or Codell breaks out of character and jokes about their responses.
Coderre said she intentionally chose to approach the comments with humor rather than respond with hostility.
“Everything you put out into the world comes back to you, and that’s the approach I wanted to take,” she says, adding that she finds some of the “creative insults” funny.
As she continued to share the videos on social media, other users began to embrace the series, she said.
“For the most part, the tone has been very collaborative and very upbeat. It feels like a back-and-forth type of roast situation with no ill will,” Coderre said. “I still get a lot of really hurtful and mean comments, but you know, I just get them off my shoulders and I don’t really focus on them.”
Online hate isn’t always a laughing matter
Hateful comments against journalists online are widespread and not new. Although Codell’s highlighted comments were more based on her appearance, some journalists have faced physical threats against them, said Tracy Eberbach, a journalism professor at the University of North Texas.
“[Codell]was reading those comments and slamming people who were making fun of her weight and appearance. But I don’t think this article addresses the fact that there are really, really scary threats that women are receiving,” Eberbach said.
Jake Nelson, an associate professor of communication at the University of Utah who studies the relationship between journalists and their audiences, said there is no proven way for reporters like Coderre to effectively manage hate online.
“There’s a part of this social media environment where you don’t really think about who your words are going to reach,” Nelson said. “And when it comes to journalists, it’s even more exaggerated… They don’t think of journalists as human beings.”
But despite the mean nature of some of the comments, Coderre says she has learned how to ignore what is said about her.
“It can certainly be difficult to compartmentalize bit by bit, but once you get to that point, it’s really amazing how little you think about these horrible comments left about you,” she said. “I wish I had an answer for how to do it and put it into practice, but it just happens.”
Use humor to lighten the mood
Nelson also said that taking a humorous approach will likely help defuse the comments.
“Because it’s funny, people think, ‘This person seems like a real person, and he’s making light of the horrible things that happen to him every day, and I appreciate that.’ So I think there’s something fruitful in that approach,” Nelson said.
Coderre helped control the reaction by participating in the jokes, but so did being thick.
“Those things have never hurt my feelings. I know what I look like, I know who I am, and I think having that combination has helped me. I’ve always had a very thick skin,” she said.
It’s not uncommon to use humor, especially to deal with negative situations.
“Humor can improve communication, reduce stress and anxiety, reduce tension, and even promote overall recovery after some negative experience,” counseling psychologist TM Robinson Mosley previously told USA TODAY.
“It makes my heart happy.”
Besides forming what Kodell calls “a little corner on the internet for pure fun,” she has found that her videos are also helpful to others, especially young girls.
Coderre said she often receives messages from parents who say their daughters struggle with body image and her videos are helping them cope.
“Every time I see comments like this, I feel like crying,” Coderre said. “That wasn’t necessarily my goal, but I’m so glad it happened. It makes my heart so happy when I hear those words.”
Melina Khan is USA TODAY’s national trends reporter. Contact her at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
This article has been updated to correct a typo.
