Produced by the Dart Research Lab at the University of Tulsa and the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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Wake, Alexandra and Elizabeth Paton, Rebecca Pryor"Communicating about suicide during a global pandemic: impact on journalists and media audiences"COVID-19 has brought with it an increase in predictions of mental ill-health and suicide impacts in Australia. For journalists, it has been a period not only of personal stress about their economic livelihoods and occupational safety, but also balancing providing up to date information about the pandemic with safe, sensitive and accurate reporting on associated suicide and mental health issues. Mindframe offers guidelines, resources and individualised support to help manage the complexities of reporting on suicide in this global pandemic, working with media to protect people in their audience who are vulnerable to suicide while also helping journalists protect their own mental health and well being.Media International AustraliaVol. 1782021Sage p. 47-53.OtherOther journalsuicideOtherNAOccupational health of journalists (negative consequences of reporting trauma)NATips for covering trauma generallyNANAAdd
Maja Šimunjak"Pride and Anxiety: British Journalists’ Emotional Labour in the Covid-19 Pandemic"This study aims to identify and explore forms of emotional labour, that is, efforts to manage emotions that labourers perceive as experiencing in their work life, that British political journalists
experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic and the perceived consequences of this labour. It is argued the examination of journalists’ emotional labour matters as it can impact journalists’ workplace wellbeing and mental health but also work commitment and quality of journalism. In order to answer the
research question, qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 34 British journalists covering politics in the spring of 2021. The findings indicate that journalists experienced
a range of negative emotions working in the pandemic, with anxiety and frustration being among the most commonly reported ones but also important was the feeling of pride in their work. The inability to access established, albeit informal, support systems, tied primarily to a physical newsroom space but also other socialisation spaces, such as working on location, removed opportunities for emotion management and induced new, and often persistent, emotions of anxiety, frustration, loneliness and
nervousness related to work.JOURNALISM STUDIESVol. 232022Routledge Taylor & Francis Groupp. 320–337.Quasi-experimental researchJournalism specific journalOtherAdultOccupational health of journalists (negative consequences of reporting trauma)NANANANAAdd
Wake, Alexandra and Elizabeth Paton and Rebecca Pryor"Communicating about suicide during a global pandemic: impact on journalists and media audiences"COVID-19 has brought with it an increase in predictions of mental ill-health and suicide impacts in Australia. For journalists, it has been a period not only of personal stress about their economic livelihoods and occupational safety, but also balancing providing up to date information about the pandemic with safe, sensitive and accurate reporting on associated suicide and mental health issues. Mindframe offers guidelines, resources and individualised support to help manage the complexities of reporting on suicide in this global pandemic, working with media to protect people in their audience who are vulnerable to suicide while also helping journalists protect their own mental health and well beingMedia International AustraliaVol. 1782021Sage.OtherOther journalsuicideOtherNAOccupational health of journalists (negative consequences of reporting trauma)NATips for covering trauma generallyNANAAdd
Ogunyemi, Ola and Joseph Akanuwe"Should journalism curriculae include trauma resilience training? An evaluation of the evidence from a scoping literature review and a pilot study"We investigated the claim in literature that exposure to work related traumatic events affects the wellbeing of journalists. We did this through a scoping review of studies on practising journalists; studies on journalism curriculae and reflections on findings of a questionnaire pilot study of journalism students’ experiences of exposure to traumatic events through teaching materials. We found
evidence to suggest that practising journalists who are regularly exposed to traumatic events are susceptible to a range of adverse psychological reactions including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); and that the teaching of resilience is not widely included in journalism curriculae. The pilot study indicates that teaching materials did not evoke adverse psychological reactions with damaging effect to students’ wellbeing. Nevertheless, we recommend the inclusion of resilience training in journalism curriculae to be taught by an interdisciplinary team of scholars in order to build resilience among journalism students and equip them to cope with the increasing risk of journalism practice in the twenty first century.Journalism EducationVol. 102021.Review (not including Meta-Analysis)Journalism specific journalNAOccupational health of journalists (negative consequences of reporting trauma)PTSDNANAHow to teach students to cover traumaAdd
Finneman, Teri and Ryan J. Thomas"“You Had to be Reporting Constantly” COVID-19’s impact on U.S. weekly newspapers’ journalistic routines"This study examines COVID-19’s impact on the journalistic routines of U.S. community newspapers during the pandemic’s early months. Oral history interviews with 22 journalists and state newspaper association directors indicate weekly journalists discarded entrenched journalistic routines to better serve their communities during a crisis. However, structural issues with business models, internet access and legal definitions of newspapers hinder weeklies from fully embracing the digital era during a crisis and in the long term.Newspaper Research JournalVol. 422021Sagep. 330–345.Quasi-experimental researchJournalism specific journalAdultOccupational health of journalists (negative consequences of reporting trauma)NAPrintNANANAAdd
Hoak, Gretchen"Covering COVID: Journalists’ Stress and Perceived Organizational Support While Reporting on the Pandemic"The COVID-19 pandemic forced unprecedented changes upon journalists in the United States as they attempted to cover the story while adhering to the same stay-at-home orders as the rest of the public. This study used organizational support theory to investigate the stress associated with the logistics of coverage early in the pandemic and how perceived organizational support played a role in either alleviating or adding to that stress. In total, 222 journalists responded to a survey sent out
during the first few weeks of the stay-at-home orders issued across the United States. Results revealed varying degrees of logistical support provided by news organizations with nearly one quarter receiving no supplies, technology, or extra training at all. Greater perceived organizational support was associated with lower levels of stress and higher levels of work commitment. Female journalists and those who were younger and less experienced felt significantly more stress associated with
pandemic coverage.Journalism & Mass Communication QuarterlyVol. 982021Sagep. 854–874.Quasi-experimental researchJournalism specific journalAdultOccupational health of journalists (negative consequences of reporting trauma)PrintTelevisionInternet newsNANANAAdd
Libert, Manon"Belgian Journalists in Lockdown: Survey on Employment and Working Conditions and Representations of Their Role."The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted an important paradox: it has reminded us of the importance of the news media and the central place it occupies in the public space in times of crisis. At
the same time, it has showed the major difficulties the industry faces in Belgium and elsewhere in the world. The lockdown disrupted the employment and practices of many journalists in ways that may reveal the contemporary tensions between professional identity and working conditions more clearly than in average news cycles. In order to understand what the Belgian French-speaking journalists went through during the first lockdown, we conducted a survey about the implications of the
crisis for their employment status and work practices. This survey also covered their perceptions concerning their social role, their journalistic skills and the quality of their work covering the
COVID-19 crisis. The responses show a sharp contrast between challenging working conditions (isolation, lack of expertise and job losses in worst cases) and the satisfaction that comes from
the social contribution of their reporting. In order to interpret the results, we consider the theory of valuation as a framework to understand the attachment of journalists to their work and how they practise it.Journalism StudiesVol. 232022Routledge Taylor & Francis Groupp. 588-610.Quasi-experimental researchJournalism specific journalAdultOccupational health of journalists (negative consequences of reporting trauma)NANANANAAdd
Oh, David C. and Seong Jae Min"COVID-19 and the Fourth Estate: Asian American Journalists’ Gendered Racial Harms and Racial Activation During the COVID-19 Pandemic"Through in-depth interviews, this study explored the voices of Asian American journalists who faced unprecedented stresses due to the racist discourse of Asian Americans as carriers of disease during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Socialized to de-emphasize their vulnerabilities in their professional work, Asian American reporters generally claimed they did not experience racist harms, but further probing revealed indirect harms. Women reporters discussed internalized harms such as elevated anxiety and fear, whereas men reporters referenced only external harms such as racial microaggressions. Women reporters also manifested greater self-reflexivity. The importance of analyzing race and gender in White
masculine newsrooms is discussed. Journalism & Mass Communication QuarterlyVol. 992022Sagep. 113–134.Quasi-experimental researchJournalism specific journalAdultOccupational health of journalists (negative consequences of reporting trauma)AnxietyPrintRadio broadcastNANANAAdd
Teng, Ziwei and Zirou Wei, Yan Qiu, Yuxi Tan, Jindong Chen, Hui Tang, Haishan Wu, Renrong Wu, Jing Huan"Psychological status and fatigue of frontline staff two months after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in China: A cross-sectional study"Journal of Affective DisordersVol. 2752020Elsevierp. 247–252.Quasi-experimental researchGeneral psychology journalOtherAdultOccupational health of journalists (negative consequences of reporting trauma)DepressionAnxietyNANANAAdd
Ajmal Khan and Raja Arslan Ahmad Khan and Mamoona Ismail Loona"Psychological effects of Terrorism on News Reporters: A Case Study of Peshawar Press Club"The objective of this study is to determine the frequency and severity of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms in journalists of Peshawar. A self-report 17-items questionnaire based on PTSD civilian version (PCL-C) was administered to 252 working journalists of Peshawar Press Clubs. The findings revealed that 17.3% of journalists exhibit extreme while 31.1% show higher PTSD symptoms. Since this paper is aimed at journalists, their unions, media houses and NGOs, therefore, specialized jargons of psychiatric literature have been avoided. Instead, simple language has been used. The paper stresses the need that psychiatric establishment and media industry should build a joint body of knowledge to create awareness and a conducive environment for journalists to seek counselling. Although the law-and-order situation has now improved,
there is a dire need for post-conflict reflexivity. Also, PTSD symptoms sometimes appear at quite later stages.Global Mass Communication ReviewVol. 12021p. 133 – 148.Content AnalysisGeneral communication journalAdultOccupational health of journalists (negative consequences of reporting trauma)PTSDNANANAAdd
Misbah, Fatima"Journalistic Community and Secondary Trauma Stress Disorder: A Perception Analysis of Mainstream Journalists of Pakistan"Journalists are frequently deployed in danger zones and exposed to hostile environments. They frequently investigate and report stories that are sensitive in nature like news stories of sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, crimes, wars, and conflicts. Violence and hostility are burgeoned out of proportion in our society with every passing day. In Pakistan, journalists are rarely taught how to deal with a range of emotions that they are likely to encounter. This study aims to highlight the level of awareness in the journalistic community in Pakistan about the secondary trauma that they experience while investigating and reporting sensitive issues. The quantitative data was collected by conducting surveys in nine different electronic media houses in Islamabad, Pakistan. 110 journalists participated in the survey. Indepth qualitative interviews were conducted of 10 journalists of various experience levels to further investigate the psychological state and the type of events that affected them. The results indicate that 43% of the journalists suffered from depression; out of which 53% of the journalists were reporters. 77.6% of journalists agreed that they do not consider themselves equipped with skills to meet psycho-social challenges that they encounter in the newsrooms or
in the field. The research recommends the need of upgrading the mass communication curricula and the establishment of trauma centers for journalists across Pakistan. Journal of Media StudiesVol. 372021p. 61-89.Quasi-experimental researchJournalism specific journalWarMass violenceSexual violenceNonsexual crimeAdultOccupational health of journalists (negative consequences of reporting trauma)DepressionOtherNANANAAdd
Siddiqua, Ayesha and Faiza Latif and Imran Muslim"A Study to Explore the Safety and Professional Challenges Faced by the Field Journalists in Pakistan"Field journalists in Pakistan who have covered violent conflicts especially in the wake of Karachi,
Baluchistan, and former FATA conflicts have repeatedly staked their physical, emotional, and
financial security while fulfilling their journalistic responsibilities. The study at hand is majorly
aimed at exploring the reactions of the field journalists in Pakistan concerning the professional and
safety challenges faced by them. A purposive sample of 15 field journalists from mainstream
newspapers and television channels of Pakistan was selected for conducting the qualitative in-depth
interviews. The study concluded that the most frequently faced challenges by the field journalists in
Pakistan included the tendency to self-censor one’s content and editorial judgment; working under
loosely defined safety protocols; and absence of seeking psychological help in terms of handling Post
Trauma Stress Disorder (PTSD). Research Journal of Social Sciences & Economics ReviewVol. 12020.Quasi-experimental researchOther journalAdultOccupational health of journalists (negative consequences of reporting trauma)PTSDPrintTelevisionNANANAAdd
"Tired, hungry, and on deadline Affect and emotion in the practice of conflict journalism"The recent ‘emotional turn’ in journalism studies has yet to substantially focus on the role that affect and emotion play in specific practices of journalism. This paper examines the affective/emotional dimensions of journalists coping with exhaustion during a reporting assignment in South Sudan to explore the ways in which the these might meaningfully alter how the practice is performed. I argue that affect/emotion ought not to be understood as simply a form of failure
to act rationally, or affective baggage picked up as a result of practice, but as integral to practices of journalism itself. I use the example of exhaustion, its effects on the practices of journalists and their responses to it to point to types of affective/emotional work that journalists undertake in order to both do journalism safely and successfully and do work which is recognizably ‘professional’ journalism.Journalism StudiesVol. 222021p. 1574-1589.Content AnalysisJournalism specific journalAdultOccupational health of journalists (negative consequences of reporting trauma)NANANAAdd
Goyanes, Manuel and Cañedo, Azahara"The dark side of journalism: Understanding the phenomenology of conflicts in the newsroom and the mechanisms intended to solve them"The practice and structural conditions of the journalism craft provide fertile grounds for facilitating the emergence of conflicts in the newsroom. However, extant research on journalism studies have largely neglected the boundary conditions for their emergence and the individual and organizational mechanisms displayed to unravel them. Based on in-depth interviews with 40 Spanish journalists, we conceptualize newsrooms’ conflicts as the dark side of journalism and examine the structural and individual factors that nurtures their appearance. We also clarify the main strategies for conflict management,
arguing that conflict resolution is typically based on informal mediation strategies, rather than institutionalized plans directly implemented by news organizations.Journalism2021Sagep. 1–18.Quasi-experimental researchJournalism specific journalAdultOccupational health of journalists (negative consequences of reporting trauma)NAPrintNANANAAdd
Holton, Avery E. and Valérie Bélair-Gagnon, Diana Bossio & Logan Molyneux"“Not Their Fault, but Their Problem”: Organizational Responses to the Online Harassment of Journalists"Journalists are increasingly reporting that online harassment has become a common feature of their working lives, contributing to experiences of fatigue, anxiety and disconnection from social media as well as their profession. Drawing on interviews with American newsworkers, this study finds at least three distinct
forms of harassment: acute harassment such as generalized verbal abuse, chronic harassment occurring over time and often from the same social media users and escalatory harassment that is more personalized and directly threatening. Women journalists said they especially are experiencing chronic and escalatory forms of
harassment. Journalists also discussed a perceived lack of systemic efforts on the part of news organizations to address such harassment, leaving journalists to search for preventative and palliative coping mechanisms on their own. Such labor may be driving journalists’ disconnection from social media as well as the profession of journalism and highlights a growing need for news organizations to address harassment as a systemic, rather than individual, issue. The mental health and well-being of journalists may depend on such action, especially at a time when more journalists are reporting fatigue, burnout, and a desire to
exit the profession.Journalism Practice2021Routledge Taylor and Francis.Quasi-experimental researchJournalism specific journalOtherAdultOccupational health of journalists (negative consequences of reporting trauma)AnxietyPrintInternet newsNANANAAdd
Perreault, Mildred Frances"Journalism Beyond the Command Post: Local Journalists as Strategic Citizen Stakeholders in Natural Disaster Recovery"On Memorial Day weekend 2015, the Blanco River crested at 42 feet, drowning the town of Wimberley, Texas (USA), resulting in the death of 11 people and damaging more than 300 homes and businesses. Journalists flocked to Wimberley to report the destruction, but as the hype from national news organizations died down, only a few local journalists remained to tell the story of the town’s struggle for recovery. Using case study methods and narrative theory, this study examined local news stories, interviews, and observations of local journalists, and conversations with community members to evaluate how local journalists consider their role as one that contributes to longterm recovery and resilience. Conversations with local journalists revealed a reporting pressure created by geographic proximity to change the focus of stories. An evaluation of the narratives expressed by journalists and how those transfer into newswork provided a deeper understanding of the tensions created when a
journalist is also a citizen stakeholder. These implications contribute to the development of the journalist as citizen (JAC) model, and addresses the way local journalists are strategic in the
narratives they adopt in the first six months after a natural disaster.Journalism StudiesVol. 222021Routledge Taylor & Francis Groupp. 1279–1297.Content AnalysisJournalism specific journalMass disasterAdultOccupational health of journalists (negative consequences of reporting trauma)NAPrintRadio broadcastNANANAAdd
Magnavita, Nicola and Maria Teresa Congedo, Reparata Rosa Di Prinzio, and Angela Iuliano"War journalism: an occupational exposure"Apart from the risk of accidents, war theatres present a hazard related to numerous long-lasting toxic agents. For 10 years, a >60-year-old male journalist worked in war theatres in the Far and Near East where he was exposed to asbestos and other toxic substances (metals, silica, clays, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other organic substances) contained in dust and smoke of destroyed buildings. More than 15 years later, he developed a mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the soft palate and, subsequently, a pleural malignant mesothelioma. The safety of war journalists should focus not only on preventing the risk of being killed, but also on providing protection from toxic and carcinogenic agents. Exposure to substances released during the destruction of buildings can also pose a carcinogenic risk for survivors.Global HealthVol. 142021BMJ.Content AnalysisGeneral psychology journalWarAdultOccupational health of journalists (negative consequences of reporting trauma)NANANANAAdd
Meer, Arsha Saleem and Zahid Yousaf"Impact of Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on Journalists Performance"The present study dealt with a common and detrimental (PTSD) disorder. The aim of the study was to identify the influence of traumatic events experienced by journalists. Stress, anxiety and trauma are major psychological problems observed within people associated with different professions. This study specifically worked on journalists aiming to evaluate the impact of traumatic events on work performance, stress, anxiety and depression among them. The research was based on quantitative data in which 200 respondents were selected for survey data through questionnaire. The quantitative study used non-probability sampling technique in which purposive sampling was used for data collection. According to hypothesis testing depression is a prominent factor within the journalists that witnessed horrific incidents, further initial depression among the journalists led to PTSD among them. Similarly anxiety and stress showed positive influence over PTSD therefore the study revealed that such incidents are significant factors in affecting the psychological wellbeing of journalists.
JRSPVol. 582021.Quasi-experimental researchOther journalAdultOccupational health of journalists (negative consequences of reporting trauma)PTSDNANANAAdd
Backholm, Klas and Trond Idas"Journalists and the Coronavirus. How Changes in Work Environment Affected Psychological Health During the Pandemic"The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on how journalists carry out their work. This study investigates how the pandemic has affected the psychological well-being of journalists
in Finland and Norway. The prevalence of six types of psychological distress symptoms is measured, as well as the impact of three work-related risk factors on distress severity. The risk factors were range of potential virus exposure in line of work, negative experiences due to working remotely, and lack of workplace social support. Study results are based on three separate online surveys, two collected in Norway (June 2020, N = 2115; December 2020, N = 1799), and one in Finland (January–
February 2021, N = 552). Between 74 and 77% of journalists had experienced some form of distress to at least some degree, and 28–47% had severe problems related to one or more distress subtype. Feeling isolated, anxious, or worn out were most frequent. Distress of all six subtypes was significantly more common among females. Two risk factors (negative experiences due to remote work; lack of social support) predicted more distress in all three datasets and one (virus exposure during work) in two samples.Journalism Practice2022Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.Quasi-experimental researchJournalism specific journalOtherAdultOccupational health of journalists (negative consequences of reporting trauma)DepressionAnxietyNANANAAdd
Coates Nee, Rebecca and Lourdes M. Cueva Chacon"Live From My Living Room: Perceived Organizational Support Among TV News Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic"As members of the media, TV news workers were considered essential employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many employees went into the field to cover stories related to the pandemic, which included anti-mask and lock-down protests. This mixed-methods study explored the extent to which TV news workers perceived
organizational support from their news organizations during the crisis. Findings of a national survey of TV news employees (N ¼ 173) show market size (larger), membership in professional organizations, access to counseling services, and resources on best practices of covering COVID-19 correlated with positive perceptions of employers during the pandemic. In turn, these positive perceptions, as well as manageable job demands and high decision authority each correlated with overall job satisfaction. Qualitative findings further illustrated the varying steps TV news managers took to support and protect their employees’ health and safety during the crisis.Electronic News: Broadcast and Mobile JournalismVol. 152021Sage p. 75-94.Quasi-experimental researchJournalism specific journalOtherAdultOccupational health of journalists (negative consequences of reporting trauma)NATelevisionNANANAAdd