Testing the emotional batteries
After sharing ideas with journalists from across Asia-Pacific, here’s my toolkit of tips for journalists dealing with trauma.
News journalism is irrevocably tied in with trauma. The graphic details of bushfires, murders, car crashes, terrorist attacks, mass shootings, domestic violence and one-punch attacks are all part of the role for anyone who works in news.
And while the adrenalin rush that often comes with breaking news and big events can be intoxicating, there are real consequences — both for victims and for us. Our approach to trauma reporting must be based on the welfare of all involved, which means negotiating that hardwired desire to get the scoop.
In August 2017, I travelled to Nadi, Fiji, for the 2017 Dart Centre Asia Pacific Fellowship. I was selected alongside a fellow Aussie, NITV videojournalist Rachael Hocking, and we joined a diverse group of journalists from Vietnam, Tonga, the Solomon Islands, Samoa, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and TimorLeste for an in-depth program about trauma reporting, with an emphasis on climate change.
The Fellowship was presented by Dr Cait McMahon, who has run the Dart Centre Asia Pacific office since it was established in 2001, along with veteran former Fairfax scribe Gary Tippet, and respected former Fellows Amantha Perera and Cherelle Jackson. Together we learned how trauma impacts on journalists as well as those directly affected, and how to practise ethical, responsible trauma reporting in the face of death, destruction or disasters.
Traumatised people
I’m the first to admit that I’ve been almost completely desensitised to many forms of trauma, including bushfire and murders. The only forms of trauma that manage to elicit some sort of emotional response from me are those that impact children or animals, and car crashes. While being overly emotional is unhelpful when reporting on traumatic events, it isn’t helpful to be blase, either.
Dr McMahon said that one of the worst questions reporters can ask a recently traumatised person is the one that we’ve probably all asked: “How do you feel?” It’s far better to think of a different way to ask that question.
These are people who have completely lost control of their lives, so giving them a sense of control in the interview is important. This could look like discussing and setting up boundaries before starting the interview, and respecting them. Because traumatised, people may not be in complete control of what they say, or are nervous about speaking to the media, offering to show these people your stories before going to print/air can do a lot to relieve their anxiety.
Impacts on journalists and photographers
There’s an unspoken competition amongst many journalists about who can be the toughest and cover the most gruesome stories. But that approach is neither heroic nor helpful, for anyone.
Journalists can develop trauma even without being directly exposed to a violent scene in which violence occurred or personal interaction with people who have been traumatised. The symptoms of what’s sometimes referred to as “secondary trauma” — absorbed, for example, through photographs, video or text — can mimic those of post traumatic stress disorder.
There’s a wide scope of experiences and events that fall under the trauma umbrella. It’s not just about visual trauma, like bloody scenes, but it’s the emotional trauma that can be the most distressing.
It is not a sign of weakness or a lack of work ethic to be affected by trauma reporting, and it is certainly not a sign of weakness to acknowledge when you’ve been affected and ask for help.
“Check your emotional batteries”, was Dr McMahon’s advice. It’s something I’m keeping in mind, for both myself and the people I interview and spend time with for work.
Mental first aid for journalists:
- Remember that your job is to report and share information, not directly fix someone’s problem, so don’t try and be a hero.
- Take regular short breaks, even if it’s just to play a game on your mobile phone or look at puppy memes.
- Debriefing is incredibly important, whether it be a five minute chat with a co-worker to release some tension, or catch up with friends.
- Don’t push yourself. Know when you’ve reached your own limits.
- Don’t compare your reactions to trauma reporting to other journalists; everyone is different and brings different backgrounds and experiences to their work.
- Eat well, get enough sleep and stay hydrated. These basic rules can make a big difference to your work performance.
- Make your health a priority, and actively switch off when not at work.
Symptoms of stress and trauma that journalists may experience:
- Increased heart rate
- Breathing quicker
- Anxiety
- Comfort eating and drinking
- Apathy and lacking engagement
- Decreased tolerance
- Anger
- Compassion fatigue
Other tips for journalists reporting on trauma
- Be compassionate, understanding and empathetic at all times.
- Be aware of how your interview or interaction with a traumatised person is developing. Watch out for signs they’re not coping, like change in voice tone, poor concentration, or struggling to use language effectively.
- Try to avoid being part of a media scrum, which can add to the trauma of victims.
- Get informed consent from interviewees: Make sure they are in a position in which they can accept or decline your request, and acknowledge that they can change their mind.
- Remember that trauma affects the brain, which impacts memory and language.
- Respect people’s boundaries.
- Remember that grief and trauma are not commodities.
The power of the Fellowship
As a freelancer, I do much of my work without the training and support a newsroom offers, although development is becoming scarce even for in-house journalists.
Opportunities like the Dart Centre Asia Pacific Fellowship play an increasingly important role in training and supporting journalists across the region, as we are all forced to do more with less. I’m so thankful to the Dart Centre for the opportunity, and to Dr McMahon and Mr Tippet for their teaching.
The Fellowship was a great chance to meet and converse with journalists from throughout Asia Pacific, and learn more about the stories they work on and under which conditions. I’m looking forward to working with some of them in the near future. I strongly recommend other Australian journalists apply for this opportunity in the future.
This article was first published in the December 2017 print edition of Walkley Magazine.
Alana Schetzer is a reporter with Reuters, freelance journalist, and media academic at RMIT and the University of Melbourne.
