Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma

Children and Media Coverage of Trauma

By Christina Cantrell and Elana Newman

An overview of current research on the short- and long-term impacts of media coverage of tragedy on children, as well as aggravating risk factors and suggestions for future research.

Repercussions of a Tragedy

By Jose Jaime "Nonoy" Espina

Almost a year after 32 media workers were massacred along with scores of others in Mindanao, Filipino journalists face the consequences of doing dangerous work in an environment of chronic stress. A recent training conducted by Dart Centre Australasia focused on peer support.

Beyond Bloody Sunday

In the wake of a landmark report about Bloody Sunday, one journalist's reflections on Northern Ireland's past and future.

Witnessing the Human Cost of Climate Change

By Petra Tabeling and Gavin Rees

At the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum conference June 21-23 in Bonn, Germany, more than 1500 delegates from 95 countries discussed the challenges of reporting climate change. A Dart Centre Europe panel looked at the human consequences of environmental disaster.

Close to Home: Reporting Local Disasters

At the Deutsche Welle Global Media conference in Bonn June 21-23, a Dart Centre Europe-moderated panel, "Witnessing the Human Cost of Climate Change," explored what it takes for local journalists to report on environmental disasters when they have hit their own communities.  Part of that discussion focussed on how these reporters can leverage their own local knowledge and empathy to correct unsubstantiated rumour and misreporting. Here is an edited transcript of that section.

After Katrina: The Gulf Carries On

By John Pope

Five years after Hurricane Katrina, the Gulf Coast faces another disaster–the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. A staff writer for The New Orleans Times-Picayune reflects on how lessons from the storm shape coverage of the latest crisis.

Grief in the Gulf

By Tanya Paperny

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is different from a war or an earthquake, but the traumatic impact is just as real. The challenge to journalists is to report the slow-motion disaster while seeking stories of resilience and possible recovery.  

Cumbria Shootings: Making Sense of the Senseless

By Gavin Rees

A mass shooting in Britain leads a wounded community to wonder why. The director of Dart Centre Europe  reflects on the story and offers resources for journalists.

Radio in Chile: Voice of Recovery

By Jesse Hardman

After Chile's earthquake, the government was widely criticized for its slow response. But some community radio stations were hailed as heroes.

Baker Boys: Inside the Surge

By Kern Konwiser and Jon Steele

This four-part independent documentary gives viewers a window into the everyday lives of American soldiers in Iraq, and the emotional and physical cost they bear. Originally produced in 2009.