"The political and media rhetoric of the pandemic is that of conflict and a call to arms in face of a hidden enemy. But this is not a distant war where journalists are parachuted in to report on the action for a few weeks and then fly home. It is on our own doorstep. Many of those covering the globa ... l crisis do not correspond to the popular image of hardened conflict reporters and may have little experience in dealing with distressing stories of death, grief and mourning. How are journalists coping with the everyday diet of trauma when the corona frontline may be affecting their families, friends and colleagues? This article explores these issues through narrative interviews with UK-based journalists covering the pandemic for broadcast, print and digital media. It seeks to capture their “emotional labour” and explore possible differences in their practice and the coping strategies they employ. The paper locates this discussion within the context of an industry that has paid relatively little heed to these issues and considers what long-term implications the coronavirus may have for the next generation of digital journalists." (Abstract) more

"Hardly a day goes by when we are not reminded of the hazards of modern journalism. The already unacceptably high levels of intimidation, kidnapping and killing have escalated still further with the civil conflict in Iraq and Syria and the series of brutal beheadings carried out by ISIS. But while m ... ajor news organisations have paid increasing attention to safeguarding the physical safety of their correspondents, and some limited support is now in place for freelancers, the issue of the mental health of journalists covering conflict is still too often an afterthought. This paper explores the emerging support mechanisms for journalists covering traumatic news events, whether that be full blown war, natural disaster, street crime or family violence. Based on the author’s personal experience of working with the Dart Centre for Journalism & Trauma and on interviews with top journalists, the paper further explores new challenges emerging from social media as journalists seek to incorporate into their news reporting an increasing volume of often distressing “user generated content”. The disturbingly graphic nature of this material, ranging from chemical weapons attacks in Syria to propaganda driven beheading videos, has prompted some news organisations to evolve guidelines to safeguard the mental health of often junior journalists now subjected to a daily flow of traumatic news footage on newsroom intake desks." (Abstract) more