Vicarious Trauma in Journalists: A Story of ResilienceIn this blog post, we will explore the impact of vicarious trauma on journalists. Vicarious trauma is a type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that can be experienced by people who are exposed to the trauma of others, even if they have not experienced the trauma themselves. Journalists are particularly at risk of vicarious trauma due to the nature of their work. They are often exposed to graphic images and stories of violence, suffering, and loss. This blog post will feature the story of Karen Percy, a journalist who has experienced vicarious trauma firsthand. Percy will share her story of resilience and how she has learned to cope with the psychological effects of her work. |
The Ripple Effect of Trauma: Reflections on the 2019 Annual Grief Lecture
Introduction
Several weeks ago, I sat in on the 2019 Annual Grief Lecture: Death in the Public Eye, watching online, hosted by the Australian Grief and Bereavement Centre (now Grief Australia), where I did my grief and bereavement counselling and intervention training.
A stellar line-up for this year’s lecture, speakers included Coroner Rosemary Carlin, Dr. Jane Mowll, ABC journalist Karen Percy, lawyer Dr. Ian Freckleton, and Walter Mikac AM, patron and founder of the Alannah and Madeline Foundation who lost his wife and children in the Port Arthur Massacre in 1996.
I have been especially interested in the impact of trauma, both direct and indirect, through vicarious exposure to trauma since joining the fire brigade and doing my training as a paramedic.
Every time there is a housefire, bushfire, natural disaster, serious car accident, assault, homicide, suicide, civil strife, war, or any other emergency-type incident, there is a ripple effect that begins with those directly impacted and extends outwards to the many people that fall within its insidious reach.
Table of Contents
- The Far-reaching Impact of Trauma
- PTSD: A Varied and Complex Response to Trauma
- The Unseen Burden on Journalists
- Reflections from Karen Percy on Death in the Public Eye
- The Evolution of Trauma-Informed Journalism
- The Imperative of Trauma Awareness in Media
- Educational Journeys to Enhance Reporting Skills
- The Importance of Peer Support and Formal Programs
- Building Resilience in the Face of Trauma
The Far-reaching Impact of Trauma
Victims and casualties, family, friends, first responders, law enforcement, emergency department healthcare professionals, and legal personnel attending trials or participating in coronial inquests all process exposure to trauma differently, and while the hallmarks of response may carry recognizable patterns, individual responses can vary greatly.
Many people are familiar with the end result of exposure to trauma in post-traumatic stress disorder or injury (PTSD and PTSI), a variation of what was once known as shell shock or combat-related stress reactions that affected the mental health of combat personnel.
PTSD: A Varied and Complex Response to Trauma
Nowadays, it is acknowledged that PTSD can be triggered through cumulative exposure as well as single incidents, the nature of which is shocking enough to destabilise normal coping mechanisms. The Bourke Street attack in Melbourne is a recent example of a single event and major traumatic incident that impacted many people as well as placing great strain on our emergency response resources. This is the daily and unpredictable occupational risk for the many people whose job it is to keep our community safe, as well as hospital emergency department personnel who help those injured in such events.
The Unseen Burden on Journalists
What many people are perhaps less aware of is that the journalists and media personnel who bring us the stories on the nightly news are also exposed to the effects of direct or vicarious trauma through reporting these incidents. These communicators are no more immune from the effects of trauma than the first responders, whose job it is to restore safety.
Thankfully, as research drives improved awareness and a cultural, attitudinal shift around the impact of trauma and the risk of PTSD, workplace mental health and wellbeing strategies are being implemented to help offset this risk and reduce the burden of exposure.
Reflections from Karen Percy on Death in the Public Eye
Here, ABC journalist and ACGB panellist Karen Percy shares her reflections from the annual lecture on Death in the Public Eye. Exploring the impact of trauma on the journalists and media personnel who bring us the news, Karen shares personal experience as well as shedding some light on some of the measures introduced to minimise the deleterious impact of trauma in the media workplace.
The Personal Approach in Journalism
The best journalism is journalism about people. It's not about the number of votes, but about WHO voted and who was voted in. It's not about house prices but about those who can or cannot afford homes.
The Challenges of Covering Traumatic Events
Journalists spend a lot of time with the people affected by the stories we write - some of the people most damaged by our society, by the ills of the world. And that is not easy to do, day in and day out. The media gets a lot of flak for being intrusive, for being sensational, for hounding people. It's quite often true - the media does all of these things. But it's not all of the media, and it's not all of the time. There are respectful, ethical ways to approach victims and families and those most affected by a disaster or a crime. And that is something that I do my very best to do, each and every day.
The Evolution of Trauma-Informed Journalism
The personal is crucial to a story. There's been a real push in recent years to practise "trauma-informed reporting," and there's a growing body of work that's being adopted and accepted by more and more news organisations about this.
The Imperative of Trauma Awareness in Media
With fewer and fewer reporters taking on ever-increasing workloads, and budgets ever-tightening, working smarter and with a view to ensuring the mental welfare of our subjects and ourselves is imperative. It means we as journalists need to better understand what the impacts of trauma are and use it in our everyday work - the way we deal with our subjects, the way we write, the way we frame stories.
Understanding Trauma in Storytelling
For the people I deal with, trauma can affect what they tell me. And that story might change - it might be inconsistent. That's not unusual for people who've gone through extreme events. It doesn't mean they are lying, it doesn't mean they are wrong. It means they've been traumatised.
Educational Journeys to Enhance Reporting Skills
Last year I was lucky enough to go to Columbia University in the United States to the Dart Centre for Trauma in Journalism in New York. It was an incredible 6-day program looking at all things - Sad Camp as it became known. I spent an intense time with 13 amazing other journalists and filmmakers from across the world, where we exchanged war stories and tips on how to deal with tough interview subjects and our own reactions to them.
Applying New Skills to Journalism Practice
I learned a huge amount in that program and this year I will be returning to Columbia as the senior fellow for the program. As a result, I now approach my subjects in a different way.
The Importance of Empathy and Genuineness in Interviews
Of course, it's important to listen sympathetically and with empathy. And be genuine. One of the questions I get asked by younger reporters all the time is "how do you get people to talk to you"? And my answer is be yourself, if you are genuinely interested in their plight, that will come across, if you show sympathy and ask the genuine questions beyond "How do you feel"? people are more likely to speak to you.
Knowing When to Step Back
There's nothing more off-putting than someone desperately pleading with you to do an interview to talk to them. And you need to know that not everyone will speak to you - that's when you move on.
The Privilege of Storytelling
I am still in awe of the people I approach who trust me with their stories and will open up – to me, a stranger who's approached them oftentimes at the lowest point of their lives. But the program in NY gave me a new set of tools in understanding those who have experienced deep trauma or ongoing trauma.
Handling Traumatic Narratives with Care
One of the first things I learned was that having someone talk about their traumatic experiences isn't necessarily going to RE-traumatise them- it might upset them, it might take them back to a dark place. And you do need to watch their responses closely to ensure they don't dissociate or show other signs of deep distress.
The Power of Action and Follow-Up in Traumatic Reporting
But talking about such experiences and getting some kind of action, is a powerful motivator for people wanting to tell you what's happened. And now I always ask, “Who are you going home to? What is your support network? How are you going to deal with the tears?” And I'll try to call at a later time to check in on them.
Continuous Learning and Improvement
It is a real privilege to tell those stories. I've been doing this for 30+ years and I love it as much as the day I first started - and I'm much better at it. But one of the reasons I still love this job is that I'm still learning.
Personal Encounters with Trauma in Journalism
I had been a journalist for a very long time before I truly understood the impact of the trauma I had experienced during my career. I remember exactly when that happened. It was in February 2014. It was at a home in a cul-de-sac in Tyabb. And it was a mother, standing in the street, her face tear-stained, her voice simultaneously soft and strong. That woman was Rosie Batty...
A Day of Reporting That Changed Everything
I was in the media group when she spoke with such love about her son, such grace about the man who killed the boy; her former partner. That day was a crazy one. I had been out news gathering with a camera operator. We had been to the cricket oval, we'd been to his school, we had filmed at his scout hall and finally arrived at his family home. We were not anticipating that Rosie would emerge. As journalists, we always hope for such a response as Rosie's, but it rarely happens.
The Emotional Aftermath of Intense Reporting
So, leaving her house, I knew we had an amazing story. I called back to base, let them know what we had and got on with writing my story. There's a weird happiness that comes when you get good elements to a story - even one as gruesome as this. That night, I was out with friends. I went to dinner; I saw a show. Halfway through the performance, I found myself in tears. I had this longing to be with my husband - to be at home where it was safe.
Navigating Personal Trauma in a Professional Role
When the performance ended, I bolted. When I got home, I pretty much collapsed into his arms. The adrenaline had gone. All I had left were my thoughts, and I kept thinking about how a man could be so disconnected from society, from his family, from community norms that he would kill his son.
The Newsroom's Response to Trauma
At about that time, the ABC's head of our trauma/peer supporter program had just started working out of our office. That's the esteemed Dr Cait McMahon who knows the impact of trauma on journalists better than anyone else. I spent some time with her the next day.
The Challenge of Continuing Coverage After Trauma
It's often the case in newsrooms that a reporter will follow a story like this for a couple of days. But that next day - I just couldn't. I was not able to pick up that story. My colleagues were shocked. I was the hardened, experienced former correspondent who had covered a coup, an assassination, natural disasters and more. And here I was, a blubbering mess.
Self-Care and Recovery for Journalists
I was sent on my way. Sent Home to lick my wounds and recover. That event opened up a can of worms for me. It brought back pretty much every traumatic event or story I had experienced - either first-hand like Cyclone Tracy or seeing my first dead body as a young journalist or vicariously, like covering the 5th anniversary of the tsunami in Thailand or interviewing the Filipino General who admitted he might have 'inspired' military killings of two young student activists in 2006.
The Constant Exposure to Trauma in Journalism
Throughout my 3-plus years as the Bangkok correspondent, there had been low-level violence on the city streets after Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a coup. It had been a peaceful coup, but the sides fought openly for years afterwards. During the ASEAN summit around this time a decade ago, when then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's plane was turned around mid-flight when there was an outbreak of violence at the venue in Pattaya. I found myself trapped in a corner, separated from my team, as the mob broke the glass and surged in. I managed to reconnect with my producer and camera operator - and scolded a man for picking up a flag pole to use as a weapon in the process.
The Personal Cost of Capturing the Story
Again, I had a brilliant story. But over my time as a correspondent, my nerves were rattled again and again. Gin and tonics and I became best friends. I was never diagnosed with PTSD, and I certainly don't claim to have it. But I have experienced a lot of vicarious trauma.
Acknowledging Trauma in Journalism
It was obvious as a foreign correspondent that I would be subjected to more than the usual level of trauma - it's part of the patch. And PTSD in war correspondents and foreign correspondents has been recognised for a long time, even if it hasn't been properly acted upon by many journalists and their employers.
The Paradigm Shift in Media's Approach to Trauma
Despite my overseas experience, I was actually surprised when I heard someone equate journalists’ exposure to trauma to that of first responders - the police, the fire brigade, the ambulance service, and the military. I don't know why I was surprised because when I thought about the hours I've spent at crime scenes or natural disasters writing, re-writing, talking, reporting, photographing, tweeting about traumatic events and the days I've spent in courtrooms listening to details of horrendous, violent crimes a penny dropped.
Media Organisations' Duty to Their Journalists
I might not be tending to the injured or investigating crimes, but I am often so deep into a story that it just has to be having an effect. And for a long time, my industry did not acknowledge that. So, in recent years, I've become very passionate about recognising and responding to trauma.
A Landmark Legal Precedent for Journalist Welfare
A recent court judgement has put media organisations on notice that they must do more about protecting journalists exposed to traumatic events. A county court judge has awarded a journalist $180,000 in general damages for the PTSD she suffers still after ten years as a crime and court reporter from 2003 to 2013.
The woman cannot be named, but the court heard she covered 32 murders, as well as funerals, talking to grieving families. She covered homicides, suicides, rapes, fatal car accidents, fire scenes, drownings, natural disasters such as the Black Saturday bushfires, and deaths of young children and young adults. She was threatened by some of those she reported on.
The Struggle for Support within the Media Industry
She told her superiors again and again over several years that she was not coping. The death of 4-year-old girl Darcy Freeman on the West Gate Bridge in 2009 was one of those occasions where she went back to the office and said enough. She took advantage of the Employee Assistance Plan, and she got counselling. She begged to move off the crime beat and was given a short reprieve - about 15 months - before being put on the courts round where she wasn't attending crime scenes, but she was certainly reliving those crimes in detail as she sat in the court.
The Need for Trauma Training and Awareness
She requested training in how to deal with trauma and those affected by trauma and was only offered a two-day training course and the day which talked about PTSD and self-care was the day she was pulled out of the course to attend another murder. The court heard expert evidence that journalists and other media employees are at significant risk of developing these conditions as a result of the stressors they have to deal with in carrying out their day-to-day jobs - be it a risk to one's physical safety or a risk to one's mental well-being by being exposed directly or vicariously to trauma.
The Long-Term Effects of Traumatic Reporting
In particular, YZ reported being disturbed by memories of the work she did. She said she was depressed and cried often. She became snappy, irritable, was tired and lacked motivation. She said she found it very hard to get to sleep and had nightmares several times per week.
A Call for Cultural Change within Newsrooms
The judge concluded that steps should have been taken to change the culture at The Age so as to make it clear that it was appropriate to talk openly about symptoms and signs such as depression, anxiety, and stress. The media industry very much has a "toughen up princess" attitude. That the paper should have made it clear to reporters they could be moved on to a different round/area.
Recognising and Addressing Psychological Injuries
It needs to train reporters and their editors to identify the symptoms of psychological injury. Putting on one of my other hats that of a co Vice President of the Media section of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, which represents journalists in workplaces, employers are very much on notice that the status quo is not good enough.
The Duty of Care in the Journalism Industry
It was accepted by the court that YZ suffered psychological/psychiatric injury as a result of repeated exposure to these traumatic events. The court found that The Age owed a duty to take reasonable care against the risk of foreseeable injury, including psychiatric injury.
Proactive Steps for Protecting Journalists
This duty extended to setting up and maintaining a safe system of work and providing appropriate instruction and supervision. The ruling means there is now a duty on employers to take proactive steps to prevent the risk of foreseeable injury, be it physical or psychological.
The Media's Response to Trauma Exposure
So, the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance has sent a letter to media editors, publishers, and relevant agencies alerting them to the case and suggesting they need to institute some programs to deal with employees exposed to trauma. There's a business imperative - $180k is not something any news organisation can afford to pay out these days, but there's also a human imperative. The court heard evidence from the amazing Cait McMahon at the DART centre that one in three journalists who are reporting on traumatic events or who are exposed to trauma have probable PTSD.
The Importance of Peer Support and Formal Programs
The ABC has a formal program where staff like me are trained to keep an eye out for others. It's not 100% foolproof but I know it makes a difference when staff hear a friendly voice reaching out to see if they are okay. I have reached out on many occasions myself to other staff. And for myself. When I covered the court case of James Gargasoulas, the Bourke St driving killer, where we heard victim after victim talk of their suffering, that was one of those times I needed some support. I contacted my point-person, we had a chat, I had a cry, I got a hug, and all was good. It doesn't always work out that way. But I know there are ways to deal with trauma. Accepting there is a problem, dealing with it and doing what's needed to get back to work is key.
Building Resilience in the Face of Trauma
I'm a big believer that peer support programs and proper counselling, and dealing effectively with those exposed to trauma is crucial in my industry. It's about self-awareness, self-care, and being aware and caring about others around you.
By building resilience, I know that I can recover. With the right response from those around me, I can find the next story and the next.
Learn MoreVisit Karen Percy's Website here. Find out about Rosie Batty's story here: Rosie Batty on Coroner's Court report into son's death Visit Grief Australia for grief counselling and support here.See more about the DART Centre for Journalism & Trauma here.
Let's Connect Go deeper into health and wellness with the Safe Haven Pocketbook. Pick up your copy here. Meet me on Instagram here. Head back to On The Blog for more reading here.
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