“Monstering” is when UK newspapers collectively
vilify, dehumanize, or relentlessly attack an someone through sustained negative coverage. It’s a form of character
assassination and moral panic–style persecution.
They are targeted over days, weeks, years. Stories are repeated with sensational or misleading framing to keep public outrage alive. They are portrayed as grotesque, dangerous, morally repugnant. Language strips them of sympathy — “beast,” “evil,” “scum,” etc. Humiliating or unflattering photos are chosen. They imply that the person represents something wrong with society — a moral decay, corruption, or threat to “decent people.”
Multiple outlets pile on, copying and amplifying each other’s stories.
The press follows the person’s every move, contacts relatives, digs into
private life, and publishes details irrelevant to the public interest. The Leveson Inquiry (2011–12) exposed many such tactics.
The term gained prominence following the News of the World phone-hacking scandal. It was notably used by actor Hugh Grant and others describing how the press would “monster” people who challenged them — turning critics or public figures into tabloid villains. The practice reflects power dynamics: tabloids can make or destroy reputations, and “monstering” serves as both
entertainment and
intimidation.
“The monstering was high energy. Doubt turned into certainty that we’d done it wrong.” -
Nick Davis’ character in The Hack, after Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers attacked him for a small
discrepancy to shift the blame from Murdoch to Nick, the reporter
exposing him and his media.
