2021-11-18 02:07
Reporting can take a toll on journalists’ mental health, especially when covering a sensitive topic like refugees. Stress and difficulty are present in every step we’ve highlighted throughout the toolkit, as well as in the responsibility you must assume when dealing with refugees as storytellers and interviewees.
In this section, ijnet explores different factors that can contribute to mental health concerns for journalists as they report on sensitive, challenging topics. Following this, we provide helpful resources and organizations to turn to for further understanding and support.
Covering traumatic stories, such as those about refugees escaping conflicts in their countries of origin, can affect the mental health of journalists who report them. The Journalist’s Resource took a look at studies that illustrate “occupational stress” and its impact on journalists' mental health.
As an example, the article includes the results of a survey of journalists conducted by Kent State University following Hurricane Harvey in 2017, which found that one in five respondents “met the threshold for PTSD,” while 90% experienced some PTSD symptoms related to their coverage of the hurricane. Meanwhile, two in five respondents met the criteria for depression, and “93% experienced some symptoms of depression.”
On top of the stress that can be caused by reporting on communities who have experienced trauma, COVID-19 has intensified mental health concerns for journalists. According to the Journalism and the Pandemic Project, published by ICFJ and the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University, 70% of respondents identified the mental health impacts of covering COVID-19 as the most difficult challenge of reporting during the pandemic.
Another survey, this one published by the Reuters Institute in July 2020 on the psychological response of journalists reporting on COVID-19, found that the majority of respondents suffered from psychological distress, including about a quarter of respondents experiencing “clinically significant anxiety… which includes symptoms of worry, feeling on edge, insomnia, poor concentration and fatigue.”
Digital wellness is another facet of our mental health today. Although technology is an essential part of a journalist’s job, it can also be a major stressor. This has been the case over the past year, in particular, as reporters have been more reliant on technology to carry out their work during COVID-19. Managing stress and digital overload as a journalist is more critical now than ever.
