Newsrooms, like many workplaces, have a history of tolerating abuse and mistreatment.

Some cases involve serious allegations of misconduct. Journalists who sexually harass their colleagues . Managers who police the hair of Black women . Bosses who belittle junior reporters and editors or require them to work long hours without additional compensation.

Other incidents of workplace toxicity can feel like routine negativity. Readers who share racist, sexist, homophobic and other abusive messages in comments and emails addressed to staffers. Competitive coworkers who put down others and fight over assignments to get ahead.

And sometimes a toxic work culture looks like a newsroom where morale is low, people do not respect each other, and coming to work feels like hanging out at the beach during a powerful hurricane: you never know what might hit you.

A journalist recently wrote to Ask the Recruiter for advice about what to do about feeling unhappy at work. They wrote:

I am a general assignment reporter.…