At a time when the public needs credible independent journalism to stay safe and informed, journalists are grappling with a huge mental health crisis. Some 70% of journalists from 125 countries identified the mental health impacts of covering Covid-19 as the most difficult challenge they have faced.
Evidence shows that the prevalence of PTSD among journalists is higher than the general population and that they are engaging in avoidance responses (numbing out, avoiding reminders of the event, diminished interests) as coping strategies.
The role of journalism educators
Journalism educators have a role to play in creating safe spaces to talk about trauma, but there is little research exploring their understanding of trauma and its effects on practicing journalists.
Dr Lada Price was awarded a BA Leverhulme Small Research Grant in April 2021 for a project co-investigated with Dr Ola Ogunyemi from the University of Lincoln.
Their study, titled “Creating a safe space for journalists to speak about trauma: Examining the roles of journalism educators,” aims to make a major contribution to literature on journalism and trauma.
The study is based on in-depth interviews with journalism educators, and focus groups between journalism educators and both mainstream and diaspora journalists.
Through those engagements it aims to develop a framework for building resilience to trauma among journalists and journalism students, which could assist journalism schools in adjusting to offer resilience training in their courses.
The project is part of the Journalism Education and Trauma Research Group (JETREG), an international group that Ola and Lada launched in 2020, with members and research hubs in seven world regions.
A new global event
As part of the study, JETREG launched Safe Space, a new two-day event. The inaugural Safe Space brought together more than 60 educators, journalists and policy makers from 14 countries to develop a common understanding of trauma informed literacy, and how it can be embedded in teaching and professional practice.
The event also aims to engage with other stakeholders, such as UNESCO, global media organisations and international NGOs, and to overcome the stigma around the topic.
Through research events and developing new education frameworks, this timely project will strengthen the role of universities in preparing new generations of media professionals with skills to deal with trauma and increase awareness of occupational safety, which is urgently needed.
