Safety of Journalists Covering Trauma and Distress - 'Do No Harm'

"We're not psychologists, we're not counsellors and we're not trained and we're asking them to re-live horrific moments in their lives." - Simon, senior TV news reporter

This brief examines the issues faced by journalists worldwide when covering stories around people's trauma and distress brought about by a range of events such as sexual abuse, hate crimes, gender-based violence, or loss of health, livelihoods, family members, and homes. It recommends trauma-aware training and support for journalists, both in their work with survivors and in relation to their own well-being, which is affected by covering difficult emotional situations.

The brief is designed to serve as a reference for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Member States, media organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), academia, and internet companies. It forms part of the UNESCO series "World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development", which seeks to offer timely insights into new and evolving challenges in the field of freedom of expression and media development. Drawing from the expertise of specialists in the given topic, the briefs offer summaries of pressing issues and recommendations for action (see Related Summaries below for more publications in this series).

As explained in the brief, "Fuelled by the demand for emotionally-driven human interest stories, while facing increasing competition with social media to attract the attention of readers, journalists can regularly find themselves on deadline and working closely with ordinary people who are going through extraordinarily bad or difficult times. These can range from disease through to experiences of crime, car accidents, violence, displacement and disasters." If the interview process is handled badly, ineptly or inaccurately, journalists risk harming contributors, compounding their distress, and failing to impact on public awareness.

The brief highlights the need for trauma-sensitive journalism by drawing on the author's own research (she is a journalist and specialist trainer on how best to work with victims, survivors, and vulnerable interviewees) and on key findings from commissioned research by UNESCO, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the World Health Organization (WHO). It also draws on case studies in this field, expert input on clinical trauma, and source materials around good journalistic practice. Interwoven throughout the brief are testimonies by journalists and survivors.

The brief describes the need for trauma-aware journalism and what it entails, explains what a traumatic event is and its psychological and physical impacts on survivors, and explores the impact of journalists in the context of traumatic events. It also discusses codes, ethics, and guidelines for reporting (with examples around reporting on suicide and violence against women); outlines how to conduct sensitive interviews with survivors in the context of reporting on refugees; and offers tips on working with refugees - including before, during, and after the interview. Finally, the brief looks at the impact on journalists who are exposed to trauma during their work, how they can protect themselves, and the importance of covering stories on gender-based violence in a gender-sensitive manner.

The following are some of the key trends identified:

• Pressure has intensified on journalists to cover people's trauma and distress and to deliver emotionally driven content to multiple platforms.
• Impact on survivors: An ongoing lack of trauma-aware training for journalists can lead to inept or ill-informed handling of survivors; some say this experience added to their trauma and made them feel "furious", "hurt", and "demoralised".
• Impact on journalists: Direct or secondary trauma may be induced by exposure to potentially traumatic events and reporting on the people affected.
• Recent stressors: There has been a rise in toxic online attacks on female journalists, and covering the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on mental health.
• Driven to deliver big and breaking stories in an increasingly competitive market, journalists may pressure survivors, unaware of or ignoring editorial guidance and codes of conduct.
• Facing the future: Journalists will be working more and more with people impacted by "persistent poverty", migration, major emergencies and disasters, "serious instability and climate chaos".

The brief concludes with a set of recommendations for journalists, media and international organisations, journalism educators, publishers, and editors:

• Trauma reporting training should be widely available and accessible to working journalists internationally, focusing on trauma-aware interactions with contributors and tools for journalists to protect their psychological wellbeing.
• Trauma-aware workshops should be held for senior leadership and editors to support them and their teams effectively. These workshops can serve to suggest policies around trauma reporting, extend peer support programmes, and open up safe spaces for conversations around mental health and the care of contributors.
• Trauma literacy should be included as part of the journalism curriculum for students, apprentices, and all early-stage media practitioners. To support this call, journalism educators need to be equipped with tools to teach trauma reporting.
• Develop a simple, widely, and readily accessible trauma reporting toolkit for students, working journalists, and all media practitioners.
• Develop a code of good practice to support journalists in interacting sensitively with victims, survivors, and vulnerable interviewees. It should include active listening, appropriate and trauma-aware behaviours and responses, and guidance around writing, framing, and promoting stories, particularly for social media platforms. It should also highlight bad practice, including around journalists covering rape.

See below for a video recording of a webinar that was held in April 2022 to launch this publication.