How journalists can better deal with awful news from around the world
As journalists we often need to have that extra layer of resilience when covering news events like Ukraine, writes Claire Lomas
A couple of weeks after the war in Ukraine began, when the devastating atrocities were still so fresh in the mind, I reminded my team of the importance of looking after their mental health more than ever.
As journalists we often need to have that extra layer of resilience when covering news events like terror attacks, conflict and human tragedy.
It is very easy, of course, for me to sit here writing this from the comfort of my own home, as if I am telling you just how hard it is being a video journalist. Woe is me.
There is often that fear of sounding utterly selfish while covering tragic world events – who are we to moan about how awful things are as we work while warm, well fed, safe and healthy?
However, a wonderful mental health worker once told me, “if you’re not in a good place, you’re no good to anyone” – I always remember that. And it’s that notion that I have shared with my team as we continue to cover the events in Ukraine. It is so important that we look after our mental health so that we can do our jobs well.
In the nine years I have spent working in newsrooms, I think it’s fair to say I have covered my share of tragedies and terror, which has led to me gradually building up my own mental toolkit to carry with me for when the latest news horrors show up.
I am no mental health expert or medical professional, but a couple of things I keep in this toolkit that can help are:
- Debriefing on the day – not the most fun subject to chat about over a wine but it is scientifically proven that talking about what we have seen helps our brains digest matters and pop them in a healthy box tucked away, rather than an unhealthy box where they may pop out in the future
- Limiting my exposure to the news outside of work. Journalists can’t just “not look at the news” – it’s in our faces all day, every day. So during large scale, negative news events I purposely avoid watching and reading the news when “off-duty” and force myself to get outdoors
As video journalists, it is our job primarily to bring viewers the latest footage from around the world to help convey what’s going on and why it matters. Video gives audiences that more sensory experience – seeing, hearing and feeling the story.
There is understandably a lot of sensitive content involved, it’s our job to “edit out the horrible bits” to make the videos suitable for the eyes of others. Yes, this is sometimes to the detriment of our own mental health, but if we are able to keep our hypothetical mental tools by our sides, it enables us to do our jobs serving you, our readers, well.
Yours,
Claire Lomas
Deputy video editor
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