A new report released Monday reveals the emotional and structural harm faced by journalists who focus on trauma reporting, often without mental health support from the institutions they work for.
As race-based, gender-based and political violence take center stage in local and national media reporting, the new study from Black Alder Labs shows the cost of covering trauma without the resources to cope with it in a healthy way. Combining a national survey of journalists with in-depth focus groups, researchers made alarming findings about those tasked with delivering the news.
Titled, “The Cost of the Story: Journalists, Trauma, and the Communities Left Holding the Story”, the report found the journalism industry is failing reporters who experience widespread psychological distress with little support.
Findings:
- 79.4% of journalists reported mild to moderate stress from their work.
- 74.1% experienced mild to moderate anxiety, with nearly 5% reaching severe levels.
- 75.3% have never sought professional mental health support, despite clear need.
- Among those who haven’t sought help, 44.6% didn’t know what resources to seek, while 24.6% lacked access and another 24.6% feared workplace perception.
- 32.9% of journalists said their newsroom provided no mental health support at all.
Importantly, the report found Black, Latino, Indigenous, Asian and other journalists of color often carry the grief of reporting on trauma impacting their own communities while receiving little to no mental health resources from their institutions.
“Black Alder Labs exists in part to address gaps in research and literature pertaining to the material conditions of impacted communities,” said Chelsea Fuller, principal researcher and co-founder of Black Alder Labs. “At a time when both journalism and impacted communities are under attack, this research is timely and intended to inform the creation of new resources, tools and education in journalism and across media-related fields.”
Ultimately, the report urges decision-makers and news organizations to center care, consent and accountability for journalists engaged in trauma reporting.
According to the report:
- Only 25.9% of journalism institutions provided mental health days.
- Only 24.7% offered counseling services.
- Only 12.9% provided trauma-informed training.
- Only 24.7% had access to debriefing sessions.
Solutions for journalists and trauma reporting
To transform the negative mental health trends in the journalism industry, the report lists several recommendations newsrooms can take to better support their reporters.
They include:
- Establish rotating, inclusive editorial boards.
- Implement story pitch sessions centered on community engagement.
- Create culturally responsive and trauma-informed editorial standards.
- Create a tiered trauma assignment protocol with mandatory support.
“This report is both a warning and an invitation,” said Takara Pierce, principal researcher and co-founder of Black Alder Labs.
The report also gives recommendations on how to sustain and scale these practices within one’s organization for journalists burnt out from trauma reporting.
“It exposes the harm that many normalized journalism practices inflict on both storytellers and the communities being reported on, especially in the context of racial and gender-based violence,” Pierce said. “These practices are not neutral. They retraumatize, erase, and uphold systems of power. This report offers a roadmap for transformation.”
Black Alder Labs will launch a new curriculum on trauma-informed journalism in the fall. Read the full report here.
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