Journalists deserve mental health support too

By Stacie Hueter

There is no denying the chaotic current state of our world: government shutdowns, revolution, environmental collapse, the dangerous rise of AI and much more. 

Whenever breaking news of such hard topics occurs, journalists are among the first expected at the scene. No matter if it is crimes, scandals or natural disasters, the public needs a story. It is our way of staying informed through it all. 

Eventually, after writing about challenging topics, especially when it concludes in misfortune, it is no surprise that journalists might experience secondary trauma.

According to Psych Central, an online psychology resource, secondary trauma, “occurs when someone is significantly impacted by someone else’s trauma.” 

An example might include feeling bad for a close friend’s family loss. This phenomenon involves a deep sense of empathic sorrow toward those affected.

When journalists are repeatedly exposed to these horrific atrocities, they often experience disturbances of their own in response. I cannot imagine the mental anguish that some types of journalists experience on the job. Investigative journalists might unveil disturbing details in their investigation of crimes, and political journalists often report on corrupt systems. 

As a journalism major thinking about minoring in political science, I have considered how political discourse might impact me mentally. One example of such a headline includes the millions of low-income Americans in the United States on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program losing their benefits after the government shutdown.

Even if I am not directly affected by this loss, I cannot pretend to not feel bad for many that cannot feed their families adequately because they live in borderline poverty. In fact, my heart aches for these people every time I see the numbers. 

Similarly, many of these news professionals feel that they have to suppress their feelings in order to get the job done. As someone who has read and reported on many unfortunate events for outlets such as The Bronc News Flash on 107.7 The Bronc, I myself sometimes experience this phenomenon. 

Sometimes, I do not even realize that I am so perturbed until I reflect back. Today’s newscasters report such events with eerily placid or sometimes cheery expressions. The media often seeks to censor the brutality of some stories and often omit the dirty details. But the journalists doing the hard reporting know what lies behind the screen.

 Because journalists did not directly experience the event occurring to others, does not mean they are any less impacted by them. 

This is the essence of secondary trauma; it is akin to secondary smoking in the way that you still experience the negative outcomes, even though you are not the one engaging in it. All it takes is proximity. 

Mental health and work-life balance is important to any job, but especially for journalists. The details of these harsh news stories tend to bleed into their lives, even personal.

So it is crucial to identifying this trauma and addressing it as soon as possible. 

Below, I will share some resources I feel are valuable to share pertaining to mental health counseling for journalists. 

First, there is the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, a graduate school of journalism project at Columbia University. It conducts research on the links between journalism and mental health. The program provides workshops and services to journalists experiencing secondary trauma and burnout. They partner with psychologists and counselors who give therapy and much needed reassurance. 

Next, there is also the Journalist Trauma Support Network, started by the Dart Center at Columbia University. Similarly to Dart, it seeks to gather mental health experts who help address journalists’ stress relating to their work. They do workshops and give tipsheets offering advice for struggling journalists. 

Finally, The Self-Investigation organization assists media professionals with managing their mental health and work anxiety. According to their website, 60% of media workers experience daily stress on-the-job, emphasizing the importance of having these resources. They offer online resources, such as blogs and therapy sessions to help journalists and similar occupations with their stress. 

These organizations prove that journalists’ doubts aren’t singular; those who work in the media experience anxiety. Intense vicarious trauma can lead to serious consequences, such as emotional burnout and depression.

People believe all the hardship and intensity of being a journalist is all “part of the job,” but I feel that it should not be normalized to downplay such struggles. 

As a budding journalist, I am expected to report everything, from obituaries, to crimes, to fullscale calamities. However, even as a young journalist, I am expected to suck it up. 

We should never doubt the level of maturity journalists need to get by in this intensive field. 

But I believe the industry can have a better, happier future if they continue to fund resources into such organizations. 

Mental health is the very foundation for how we function, especially journalists, who have to endure the reporting of these serious topics. Acknowledging this trauma is the first step toward genuine healing. 

Stacie Hueter is a freshman journalism major