Covering Trauma in Latin America

At the conclusion of the workshop "Covering Violence: Trauma and Journalism in Latin America," clinical psychologists, researchers and twenty Latin American journalists and editors suggested resources and concrete next steps for Latin American journalists covering violence. The workshop was held at the Columbia Journalism School in New York City on Oct. 13 and 14, 2009.

After two days discussing the challenges of covering violence, journalists, editors and researchers broke into small discussion groups for lively brainstorming sessions on two questions: What do journalists in Latin America need to hone their craft in reporting on violence and its aftermath?  And what are ways that journalists themselves can be supported?

The recommendations were wide-ranging and emphasized the concrete. They included general suggestions for Latin American journalists, areas of need for these journalists and their news organizations and specific information, training and other programs that they would like to see implemented in the next year.

Suggestions for journalists

  • Accept vulnerability to the effects of violence
  • Protect and provide solidarity for other journalists
  • Learn to handle egos and to recognize each other’s good work
  • Take time to see loved ones
  •  Learn to live in a more balanced way, taking up arts or other activities
  • Convince news organizations that their investing in security and safety training is a smart financial investment
  • Do periodic self-evaluation
  • Ask bosses for a recovery period after a difficult story
  • Say no to assignments when necessary
  • Manage work so it doesn't have to be taken home

 

Training needs

  • All staff should know the history and risks stories entail for themselves and their subjects
  • Editors should be trained to recognize and respond when a reporter is in a difficult situation
  • Trainings should be adapted by local programs

 

Needs of journalists and news organizations

  • Awareness and destigmatization of trauma among colleagues
  • A culture that allows journalists to take time off after a hard story
  • Elimination of the tendency to evaluate stories by cost

 

Informational needs of journalists and editors

  • What to do in an emergency
  • How to tell when a situation is out of control
  • Case-study lessons from other journalists in the region
  • Strategic safety information such as how to prevent phone calls from being intercepted
  • How to recognize when other journalists need support
  • Practical information linked to regional stories
  • Information about psychological trauma

 

Potential new programs

  • Regional alliances between journalists and between organizatoins
  • An interregional organization to promote local stories outside of their local context
  • Manuals to fulfill informational needs listed above
  • Research on the experiences of journalists and editors who work in situations of constant threat, which could help give credence to their recommendations in talking to management, editors and other journalists
  • A board of journalists that can be consulted for expert advice in conflict situations
  • Social networking groups, both at the regional level and the local level, where people can express themselves in a safe space
  • More discussions among journalists that include psychologists