“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.
