On Deadline in Harm's Way: A Qualitative Study of Trauma Journalists (original) (raw)
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Journalists are caretakers of the public interest. But when a community experiences a devastating trauma, lines of responsibility are less clear-cut. Are journalists responsible to the news consumer or the community experiencing the trauma? Which notion of public interest assumes precedence? How does journalistic responsibility translate into action when residents experience pain, but editors clamor for on-the-spot coverage? Creating spaces for reflective practice can assist journalists in considering principled ways of covering trauma. This paper examines the reactions and reflections of seven journalists who responded to research exploring the impact of media coverage on a rural community where a high-profile murder had occurred. These journalists, using reflective practice, pondered the challenges of covering trauma, the evolution of journalistic responsibility and the implications for journalism educators teaching students who will inevitably cover traumas when they are working in the field.
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Trauma reporting such as disaster, war and conflict often generates large newspaper headlines as news deemed to have impact, proximity and scale tends to attract the audience's attention. Journalists are asked to seize "immediate, dramatic and novel" news to evoke "excited curiosity", by digging and exposing "the blood, injury and violence", a trend that is more evident in commercial news outlets. 1 Reports about conflicts and disasters also conform to the fourth-estate mantle of serving the public interest; to inform, educate and unite the public, especially in the event of a tragedy. In China, there is now more room for journalists to navigate when reporting such topics and since the 1990s there have seen numerous occasions when Chinese correspondents have been able to cover traumatic events like disaster, war and conflicts in and out China. This has been aimed at domestic and even international audiences. 2 Conventionally, journalists are deemed to be the impact-makers through their agenda-setting and framing, but the impact on themselves is largely neglected. This omission is further complicated by the negative attitude towards stress and its symptoms, or generic help-seeking. It is a culture of silence. 3 Some research views journalism as a macho profession and journalists as a resilient group. 4 Yet, journalists and correspondents are not always well-trained or prepared before they are sent to
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
Background: Journalists who cover traumatic events are at risk of developing long-term impairment, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The exposure may also result in perceived positive outcomes, conceptualised as post-traumatic growth (PTG). Social support (SS) at work is one factor that might affect the outcome. Objective: To investigate the relationship between three subtypes of workplace SS (perceived support, received support, received recognition), and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and between SS and PTG in journalists who have covered a large terror attack. Furthermore, to examine the relationship between ethical dilemmas (ED) experienced while covering the incident, PTSS and PTG. Method: The study was performed as a web-based survey sent out eight to nine months after the incident to Norwegian journalists (N = 375) who covered the terror attack in Norway in 2011. Results: Journalists who received more support also reported a higher level of PTSS (r = .168, p = .044). Recognition and perceived support showed no significant association with PTSS. Journalists who received more recognition also experienced more PTG (r = .542, p < .001). Neither perceived nor received support were significantly associated with PTG. More ED was positively associated with both PTSS (r = .469, p < .001) and PTG (r = .402, p < .001). Conclusions: Journalists with more PTSS may have participated more in organised support such as debriefing activities in the aftermath of the coverage. Some journalists may have experienced stress related to a fear of causing additional harm to first-hand victims (ED). Others may have experienced PTG related to reflections and discussions about their ED in the aftermath of a coverage. Media companies may promote PTG among their journalists by developing a culture for recognition of employees' contributions during demanding missions.
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Australia's exposure to the effects of the December 26 South Asia tsunami has alerted news media institutions to the dangers for journalists covering these events. News media institutions have become aware of possible short- term and long-term physical and psychological trauma for journalists who are involved in on-the-spot reporting, for those exposed to information and images through editorial decision-making functions,
Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 2012
When covering traumatic events, novice journalists frequently face situations they are rarely prepared to resolve. This paper highlights ethical dilemmas faced by journalists, who participated in a focus group exploring the news media's trauma coverage. Major themes included: professional obligations versus ethical responsibilities; journalists' perceived status and roles; permissible harms, and inexperience. Instructional classroom simulations based on experiential learning theory can bridge the gap between the theory of ethical trauma reporting and realities journalists face when covering events that are often chaotic and unpredictable by their very nature. A simulation outline that can be used by journalism instructors is provided.