Journalists are sometimes on the frontlines of a number of the world’s most difficult events, from crime scenes and road accidents to natural disasters and wars. Now, journalists around the globe are working extra time to cover the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Covering these stories, whether major international stories or events much closer to home, can have an effect on those that do the reporting, resulting in issues like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in some cases, but more likely anxiety, stress and burnout. 

Months ago, at IJNet, we discussed the necessity to delve into this topic with more stories and resources. We could have never predicted how mandatory this topic could be now within the midst of a world health crisis — one which affects everyone, regardless of where they live or what beat they cover. 

We decided to kickstart this conversation with a webinar on journalists’ mental health, with panelists Bruce Shapiro, executive director of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University; and Sherry Ricchiardi, Ph.D., co-author of ICFJ’s Disaster and Crisis Coverage guide and international media trainer who has worked with journalists around the globe on conflict reporting, trauma and questions of safety. This webinar was moderated by IJNet Editor, Taylor Mulcahey. 

Shapiro and Ricchiardi offered a briefing on trauma and journalism, offering tricks to support your personal mental health, to interview victims of trauma and to encourage higher mental health support within the newsroom. 

 

Tips about how journalists can address their very own mental health:

(1) Remember you’re not resistant to the emotional impact

“We’re first responders,” Ricchiardi said. When there’s trouble, others may run away from a scene but journalists rush towards it. With a view to stay resilient and effective, it’s necessary to do not forget that stress might be accrued over periods of time.

“This [COVID-19] pandemic goes to challenge us, it’ll challenge each our craft capacities and our personal capacities,” Shapiro said. “We’re, by definition, trauma facing professionals.” 

Staying attuned to your personal emotional health, and never ignoring signs that you simply need support, will help you catch any issues that arise and manage them appropriately. 

(2) Know your signs

“We want to know to take into consideration how we cope well with things and the way we do not,” Shapiro said. 

Everyone has old bad habits, signature strengths and pre-existing vulnerabilities. Shapiro suggested making note of all of those and using them to make a plan on easy methods to cope during a crisis — just like the one we’re facing now — or while reporting on traumatic topics. 

(3) Flatten your stress curve by taking downtime

At this point, everyone has heard about “flattening the curve” of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Shapiro said there’s also an analogous curve to measure the quantity of stress journalists face. While a specific amount of stress is healthy and motivating, comparable to looming deadlines, an excessive amount of can result in crashing, breakdowns or burnout.

“Flattening the stress curve will greatly enhance our ability to effectively function professionally, and our ability to manage well psychologically,” Shapiro said. “A resilient journalist is a well-rested one. You must sleep. You would like downtime.” 

Allow yourself some downtime while you aren’t working, which might be harder when working remotely. “Plan ahead for the tip of your workday, just as should you were within the newsroom,” said Ricchiardi. “That is really necessary. Set a strict time for work hours and persist with it.”

The 24-hour news cycle is a challenge that many journalists have acknowledged as an element that contributes to emphasize, but planning something enjoyable to stay up for at the tip of the workday can alleviate that stress. 

“Take into consideration after I finish today, I will cook an incredible meal, I’m going to seek out a movie on Netflix, I will take a walk, whatever it’s,” said Ricchiardi. “The most important thing is to walk yourself out of the work mode.” 

Schedule your day so you have got short breaks, and take unexpected breaks to permit yourself 10-Quarter-hour to pause. 

“You would like each internal recovery, calming yourself biologically, and external recovery, a change in tasks and a change in atmosphere,” Shapiro said. “Your brain needs that to operate.”

(4) Create a self-care plan with assertive boundaries

Especially when working remotely, Shapiro emphasizes the necessity for a self-care plan. Perhaps meaning yoga, exercise or meditation. 

One other suggestion is to maintain an inventory of what you’ve completed throughout the day, which provides you some level of control. At a time when we have now so little control over what’s occurring on the planet, small steps like this can assist overcome feelings of helplessness. 

“This can be a superb time to maintain a piece journal. That’s something which I feel quite a lot of psychologists would say could be very helpful now because we get to see our accomplishments at the tip of the day,” Shapiro said.

And also you don’t should do any of this alone. “We’re sometimes our own best healers, with slightly help from our friends,” said Ricchiardi. Letting your folks or close colleagues know what’s occurring in your life also can alleviate some stress.

Finally, each Shapiro and Ricchiardi said to step away from the technology. Apps like Twitter and Facebook are a continuing stream of knowledge, and although scrolling endlessly could feel mindless, creating assertive boundaries with social media and technology is critical. 

“We have to be owning our devices, not having our devices own us,” Shapiro said. “Get off of them an hour before bedtime in order that your brain can calm down, or plan device free blocks in your day.”

Suggestions for interviewing victims of traumatic events:

Journalists need to think about their very own mental health, but in addition the mental health of their sources. While Ricchiardi and Shaprio covered personal suggestions, in addition they gave advice on easy methods to interview victims of traumatic events. 

Ricchiardi recently spoke with Hannah Dreier, a ProPublica reporter who won a Pulitzer Prize last 12 months for her work covering MS-13 and the gang’s impact on immigrant families in Long Island, Recent York.  

“I asked her to present us some suggestions, some best practices on how she worked with the parents, grieving parents of youngsters who had been murdered,” Ricchiardi said. 

(1) Let the source have as much control over the interview as possible

Allow them to tell their story in their very own words, and provides control to people who find themselves in crisis. Allow them to do the interview at their very own pace, and recognize that it is likely to be long, but you possibly can come back later.

(2) Safety first

Discover a secure place, and a secure time, to interview them. 

“At one point [Dreier] interviewed a mother at night, and the mother said, ‘Wait a minute, I’ve had nightmares all night long due to our discussion,”’ said Ricchiardi. Dreier responded by agreeing to only do the interviews throughout the day, to avoid adding any additional stress and trauma.

(3) Explain to your sources why you’re asking tough questions

Once you’re talking to victims or grieving families, they should know why they need to let you know their stories, especially when doing so causes them to relive traumatic experiences. Transparency and sensitivity are key. 

The role of newsrooms in advocating for the mental health of their reporters:

(1) Create mental health protocols 

Just as there are safety protocols within the newsroom, journalists ought to be equipped with mental health support, which starts at the highest, Ricchiardi said. 

“I can start at the underside [training] the journalists, but it surely eventually has to go to the highest for them to log off on it,” she said. 

(2) Appoint a mental health committee for the newsroom

Sometimes management won’t create their very own set of guidelines, but journalists can still step up to steer the charge. Ricchiardi said that making a mental health committee doesn’t require direct managerial influence, and offers reporters the capability to do their very own research on available resources and establish a set of guidelines to present to management. 

This also gives reporters freedom over how they wish to see it work, and it encourages more journalists within the newsroom to enter the discussion. 

(3) Host peer trauma support or peer mental health support programs 

One other idea for newsrooms is creating peer trauma support, or peer mental health support programs, said Shapiro added. He’s seen this work before. “They are literally training colleagues in newsrooms to learn ears, not counselors, but to be resources for colleagues.”

(4) It’s not nearly feelings

The most important misconception journalists and newsroom leaders have when discussing trauma, anxiety or stress is that it’s all about feelings. It’s greater than that, said Shapiro.

“As a workplace health issue, it’s no more about feelings than a bullet or a foul office chair. It’s occupational health,” he said. 

(5) Give middle managers the abilities to handle mental health within the newsroom

“The role of leaders, not only the highest managers, but the center managers — the people on the desk — is crucial,” Shaprio said. 

“There are skills that middle managers have to learn, and they are not: easy methods to listen, easy methods to discuss these items, how to not pathologize, and yet, easy methods to be there,” he said. “It’s crucial that middle managers get a few of these skills, and in addition that managers recognize they have to be self-care role models for the remaining of the staff.”

(6) If journalists are struggling to have their editors make the time to be involved, bring outside resources to the newsroom

While journalists can have great interest in these issues, and will even begin the initiatives, it’s necessary to involve editors, said Ricchiardi. She encourages journalists to plan meetings with outside experts or trainers on these topics within the newsroom.  

“Then they do listen they usually do care they usually do respond, she added. “Nevertheless it has been a struggle to get them involved. And we just should keep at it.”

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Essential image CC-licensed by Unsplash via NeONBRAND.