TV journalist Andrew Macfarlane on being proudly out and the toll of online haters

Andrew Macfarlane, Australian correspondent for TVNZ.

TV reporter Andrew Macfarlane is not shy about his sexuality, but he gets some really ugly hate. George Fenwick talks with him about the wearying toll of online trolls - how it affects him personally, and what the industry is doing to protect public-facing journalists.

At 21, as a new TVNZ Breakfast reporter, journalist Andrew Macfarlane was sent on a live cross cruelly regarded as a rite-of-passage for new recruits: eating the world's hottest chilli live on air. It was the 2018 edition of the NZ Hot Sauce Festival, and "every year, they're like, 'We'll make our breakfast reporter try the hottest chilli,'" laughs Macfarlane. "It went horribly. It was bad, there were tears on air, I had to drink milk, it was not cute."

The recording of Macfarlane's agony was deemed good content and uploaded to 1News' social media channels. Macfarlane saw the funny side, but one comment from a member of the public left him speechless. "I'm trying to recall what the wording was specifically, but they commented saying: 'Reminds me of the gay man who cooked his lover up into a curry, just so he could eat him and have him run out of his a*** one last time.'"

Macfarlane was shocked. "It was so graphic, and it was clearly because I sound camp and gay. It made me feel pretty sick, mainly because someone had put the thought and effort into it to write it and post it."

Macfarlane is one of the youngest correspondents to have been based in Sydney.

Now 25, Macfarlane is 1News' Australian correspondent based in Sydney, one of the youngest journalists to have held the role. Born in Christchurch to a "tech-whizz" father and opera singer/teacher mother, he attended Middleton Grange School, where his mother worked. A non-denominational Christian college, Middleton Grange declared its homophobia right before Macfarlane started by firing a netball coach for being gay, a decision that made headlines at the time and was escalated to the Human Rights Commission.

"I think the school apologised after it, but it probably set the tone for what it was like," he says. "I couldn't be fully myself there."

His interest in journalism was sparked by the Christchurch earthquakes — "I remember coming home and being glued to the coverage" — and after coming out to supportive parents in his final year of school, Macfarlane entered New Zealand Broadcasting School as a fully out man. An internship at TVNZ followed, where he then became a Breakfast reporter. Known for his quick wit and jovial personality, Macfarlane has since covered a wide range of contemporary issues at 1News, including an undercover investigation for Sunday into the now-illegal practise of conversion therapy in Aotearoa.

There was never any compromise between his sexuality and his career, says Macfarlane. "It was camp from day one," he says. "It didn't feel at any point like I had to hide it. If anything, it was kind of a feather in my cap, an extra perspective I could bring on stories and issues. It felt like something that was celebrated and, if anything, embraced."

Macfarlane credits gay journalists who have paved the way ahead of him, such as Breakfast presenter Matty McLean, former Seven Sharp executive producer Alistair Wilkinson and broadcaster-turned-politician Tamati Coffey. "I can only speak from my experience … but to have gay role models and mentors too, these people that are doing so well, it's a healthy thing to grow up in a work environment like that," he says.

"Matty [McLean] would hate me saying this, but I used to get up and have breakfast before going to school and watch him be a Breakfast reporter. I don't think Matty was out at that point but I knew I connected with him on some strange level."

McLean tells Canvas, "It's super-inspiring to see people like Andrew Macfarlane come along, who from day one was proudly, unapologetically himself.

"It takes some people a long time to feel comfortable in their skin but Andrew makes it look effortless. Perhaps that alone speaks to how far we've come."

Attitudes towards sexuality certainly seem to have evolved for public-facing journalists. There are multiple queer people — though predominently white men — currently in prominent television and radio roles in Aotearoa, with Newshub's Ryan Bridge reporting a largely positive reaction when he was accidentally outed by his colleague Mark Richardson live on air in 2021. But there are varying degrees of queer expression between those currently out in the media, and while Macfarlane wears his femininity proudly on his sleeve, it makes him a target for regular online harassment.

"The social media side of things is something I've struggled with the most about the job," says Macfarlane, "because I don't buy into the attitude that you shouldn't read the comments. I think it's a pretty simplistic attitude towards it, because it's our job to report what people are saying and thinking, and if you do a story and you do a bad job of it, you've got to read those comments and take it on the chin… Hidden in there is some really stupid, unreasonable stuff, but I don't buy into the fact that you should switch it off entirely."

Homophobic comments arrive without fail every time a clip of Macfarlane's reporting is uploaded to Facebook or Twitter. He'll share them in group chats with queer friends to minimise and mock the abuse, and for the most part remains unaffected, but the cumulative effect of constant online harassment takes its toll. In September last year, Macfarlane, fed up, shared examples on Twitter of the kind of crass, homophobic comments he continually receives.

"I just reached the end of my tether," he says. "I was frustrated with it, and I think sometimes it's okay to just call it out for what it is, which is bulls*** sometimes, you know? If someone has a genuine criticism of a story, or they think what I've said in something is bulls***, that's totally fair enough, that's a very valid opinion. But when it gets personal, I still do find it difficult."

Andrew Macfarlane, left, with the Breakfast team, including Matty McLean, right, who has been an inspiration for Macfarlane.

Macfarlane is not alone in his experience. Women and racialised journalists have reported a proliferation of online harassment in recent years: a Unesco survey of 901 journalists from 125 countries last year found "nearly three-quarters (73 per cent) of our survey respondents identifying as women said they had experienced online violence", while a quarter had been threatened with sexual violence and death. Black, indigenous, Jewish, Arab and lesbian women journalists experienced both the highest rates and most severe impacts of online harassment.

Discussion at TVNZ of the impact of online harassment is in its early days, says Macfarlane. "That's probably going to change as we go more digital, because those comments come on Twitter most of the time," he says. "I think it's something we're looking at doing more often, especially with the rhetoric towards the media more broadly."

Public Media Alliance, a global association of public service broadcasters, says newsrooms need to recognise their responsibility for the wellbeing of their reporters online. Some are front-footing this more than others; the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has created the role of Social Media Wellbeing Officer, who is responsible for providing guidance and advice for journalists experiencing abuse, while the Danish broadcaster DR has created the role of Digital Harassment Officer.

"Elsewhere, we're seeing some organisations put less primacy on their journalists using social media in a professional capacity," says Public Media Alliance CEO Kristian Porter. "After a decade of being told the opposite — that journalists should be on social media — this is a positive step."

The International Women's Media Foundation, a US-based organisation that advocates for women journalists around the world, says formal policies and response plans for online harassment are essential. "Newsrooms should also invest in subscription services like DeleteMe to better protect private data like their reporters' home addresses and other personal info, which could be used to dox them," says deputy director Nadine Hoffman. "They should include digital safety and online harassment in their risk assessments and story planning processes, identifying factors like gender, race, religion, beat, et cetera, that may increase the chances of online harassment … Importantly, they should provide robust mental health support for journalists facing online abuse."

TVNZ has offered care to Macfarlane throughout his work: after his Twitter post, his boss called him to check in, and the most vicious comments will be hidden by admins on Facebook posts. Macfarlane was also offered counselling when he went undercover to conversion therapy for Sunday. He's sure that if online harassment began affecting him severely, "they would absolutely support you through that", but introducing proactive support at an institutional level may take a culture shift.

"It's one of those things where I think older journalists make the, 'You've got to develop a thick skin' argument. It's tricky, because you don't want your day-to-day life to be affected by what a total stranger you've never met on the internet says about you. But also, the onus shouldn't be on me to develop a thick skin."

TVNZ tells Canvas that their wellbeing policies are evolving along with the rise of social media. "We monitor comments on social media and viewer correspondence platforms," a TVNZ spokesperson says. "Whether on air or online, we encourage our people to speak out if they have been on the receiving end of any untoward behaviour or comments. We also send out tips and tools to keep yourself secure online. If there are concerns about online activity, access to support tools is recommended and technology solutions, from blocking individuals to turning off comments and direct messages, may also be suggested."

At Newshub, director of news Sarah Bristow says they are "always alert" to online harassment. "As a first step, we always check in and offer support," she says. "When it comes to our response as an organisation, there's no one-size-fits-all approach … But of course, if the abuse is serious we'll make sure they're supported to take it to the police if they want to."

Macfarlane also wants social media companies to take more responsibility. After reporting some of his regular abusers to Twitter, he was told they did not breach the platform's guidelines. What the commenters may be forgetting, however, is that Macfarlane is a journalist, and has the skills to find out exactly who they are.

"I'll build a Word document of their name, company, how old they are and their personal Facebook page," he says. "I won't do anything with the information, because I'm not going to dox the person because then you're just as bad as them. But I take pleasure in knowing that if things get very bad, I've got options."

While the hate hurts, Macfarlane has only grown more confident as a queer person further into his career, particularly after moving solo to Sydney. ("A little piercing has made a cameo," he says, showing off his left ear.) And while the online harassment is exhausting, Macfarlane has also been touched by messages of positivity.

"I will get a few random DMs on Instagram from people who are probably still at high school, after they've seen a live cross, saying, 'Hey, love seeing what you're doing over there,'" he says. "The benefit is probably best for younger gay kids who are kind of working it all out, but equally, I think it's possibly for parents too."

McLean, meanwhile, is equally touched by regular messages of love and recognition. "Whether it be middle-aged women from rural New Zealand asking me about my wedding plans with Ryan, to young people reaching out to say watching me on TV has helped them feel more comfortable, to the mum who emailed me the other day to say her 4-year-old son wanted his nails painted blue like mine — it all truly warms my heart, and reminds me that every day this country becomes a better version of itself."