Storyful Releases Podcast on Confronting Vicarious Trauma
November 16, 2016
In 21st century newsrooms, journalists, social media teams, and picture editors are now faced with more graphic content than ever before. Filtering and verifying user-generated content is a now a core part of the news process and in recent years the Syrian civil war, the rise of Islamic State and civil unrest has meant that many journalists and viewers are exposed to disturbing images on a daily basis.
Research by the Dart Center suggests that related trauma can cause a triad of disabling responses, and a study carried out by Eyewitness Media Hub found that individuals working with content of a graphic or distressing nature were most affected. So how are journalists at risk of vicarious trauma from user generated content? And what do we know about the effects of vicarious trauma on viewers?
Dart's Executive Director Bruce Shapiro joined Storyful's Della Kilroy and Joe Galvin, and journalists Jenny Hauser and Razan Ibraheem, to discuss the impact of graphic content on both journalists and viewers, as well as methods to confront vicarious trauma in the age of graphic online content consumption: