ABC Radio Adelaide presenter Ali Clarke, who broke down live on radio after receiving an abusive message on the radio station's text line, has called for people to be mindful of the impact their unkind words can have.

Clarke, who described herself as an "ugly crier", said she had received texts this morning that were "pretty personal" and "attacking".

"Normally I'm ok with that but these ones got under my guard for whatever reason," she said.

Clarke handed reading the weather to colleague David Bevan but said she could not pretend it did not happen.

"I love my job and it is a privilege to hear from people who do take the time [to get in contact]," Clarke said.

"It is a privilege to talk to people and I appreciate it when they agree with me and I appreciate it even more when they disagree with me because it is interesting — they see a different point of view to me."

While on air, Clarke said the texter accused her of conducting a "pitiful interview" and providing "excruciating listening for the Adelaide audience".

The program included interviews with radio and TV personality Andrew 'Cosi' Costello about his Royal Adelaide Show attraction and a woman who rescued a joey from a dead kangaroo's pouch.

"We don't always get things right here, but we do always try our best," she told listeners while choking back tears.

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"And you know we sit here with a text line in front of us and it just adds up.

"Sometimes we do interviews and it is handed to us last minute, but we are trying our very best."

She said while she accepted the texts were part of her life, she hoped for better.

"Part of me gets really grumpy that we have to say that, because surely we can be better than that," Clarke said.

"Surely we can take care of people a little bit better than that and understand what you say has consequences.

"I didn't wake up this morning thinking this was going to happen but at the end of all of this I am heartened by how many people are really, really positive and how many people actually took the time [to send texts of support]."

She said radio presenters were not the only people targeted by anonymous, online criticism, and the impact could be wide-ranging.

"You know kids are getting commentary like this through social media," she said.

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Humour can help weather a social media storm

ABC Breakfast TV presenter Virginia Trioli sometimes publishes the feedback she receives on social media.

She said the messages could sometimes be helpful, but when there was a "pile on", it was important to take some time away.

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"It's unrealistic to say don't engage — engagement is our job as journalists and sometimes an observation or a criticism is of use," she said.

Ms Trioli said how she reacted to negative feedback depended on "the time and the place it finds you".

"We're ranging from generic, mild criticism, to the most vicious, nasty and demented attacks," she said.

"It's often cowardice hiding behind a computer and anonymity.

"Sometimes a bit of humour can help, saying 'I know mate, I think I was shit today but I'm trying my best'."

She said sometimes the best remedy was to imagine being the person who wrote the nasty feedback.

"We would never say those things, and that's what you've got to hold on to," she said.

"If you answer to your conscience, then you don't need to answer to anyone else."

Renee Barnes, a senior journalism lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast who authored a book on trolls, fanboys and lurkers, said online behaviour needed to be aligned with the behaviour people expect from others in real life.

"We need to start to view the online world as the same thing," she said.

"If you are wanting to create a norm in a community, it needs to be called out by either the person who it involves or a witness.

"If you shrug your shoulders and say 'oh well it's the Internet', we are perpetuating the problem."

ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie told staff in an email while public feedback was part of the job "sometimes you need to draw the line".

"Particularly in relation to anonymous online attacks or trolling which, unfortunately, are an increasingly common dark facet of online exchanges," she wrote.

"Personal abuse, threats and harassment, are not acceptable. Under any circumstances."