When online trolls target old media, young journalists tend to be easier prey.

The first thing Emily said to me after they fired her was I feel like nobody has my back.

From WNYC in New York, this is on the media. I'm Brooke Gladstone.

Also this week, there's either an epidemic of cancel culture or an epidemic

of whining about cancel culture, depending who you ask. What are the statistics indicating

that speech is less free now than it used to be? We're in like a free speech Xenitude. Plus, tracing

the origins of our term de jour cancellation.

As so often the case, it originates on Black Twitter.

It was mostly used to express, disgust, or disdain for some celebrity who did something that he didn't like.

You're like, eh, I'm done with this person, I don't deal with them, they're canceled.

It's all coming up after this.

From WNYC in New York, this is On the Media.

I'm Brooke Gladstone.

The Associated Press turned 175 this year. To call the AP a news organization

is an understatement. It's our industry's beating heart, pumping high-quality information

from across the world to cell phones, local newspapers, radio stations, Facebook feeds.

Its ever-evolving style book has shaped the lexicon and

grammar of journalism. But when news broke last month that the AP had fired a rookie reporter named

Emily Wilder, the institution found itself at odds with media critics, right-wing trolls, and elements

of its own newsroom.

Then, on May 27th, on the media's executive producer Katya Rogers received a voicemail from

an employee at the Associated Press who asked us to examine the debate around objectivity

...