Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma

Covering Trauma: Impact on Journalists

By River Smith and Elana Newman

An overview of current research on the occupational hazards for journalists covering traumatic events, the risk factors that aggravate those effects and some suggestions for mitigating those factors.

Tragedies & Journalists

By Joe Hight and Frank Smyth

A 40-page guide to help journalists, photojournalists and editors report on violence while protecting both victims and themselves.

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Covering Children & Trauma

By Ruth Teichroeb

When children are victims of violence, journalists have a responsibility to report the truth with compassion and sensitivity.

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Suicide Rates Climb; Misperceptions Remain

Two troubling reports were released this past week about climbing suicide rates, each of which point out misperceptions in the public's understanding.  More »

Good Wars, Bad Wars: A Special Conversation

On Tuesday, the Dart Center hosted a conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Dale Maharidge and Ridenhour Prize-winning journalist Nick Turse about their acclaimed new books which revise our understanding of two very different wars. In Bringing Mulligan Home, Columbia Journalism professor Dale Maharidge goes in search of the ghosts that haunted his WWII veteran father. In Kill Everything that Moves, journalist and historian Nick Turse uncovers secret Pentagon records and tracks down survivors and perpetrators, revealing the brutal consequences of America’s military policy in Vietnam.

"The Story Behind these Hands: Finding Their Way Out"

By Bill Landauer, Jason Plotkin, Samantha Dellinger, Scott Blanchard, and Brad Jennings

Judges described this multimedia feature story in the York Daily Record (PA) as "moving" and "compassionate." It explores the lasting impact of trauma on one community nine years after the 2003 shooting at Red Lion Junior High that left the principal and shooter dead. Originally published in April, 2012. An interactive version of this story can be found here.

At War: Notes From the Front Lines

By Thomas James Brennan and James Dao

Brennan, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in Afghanistan and was diagnosed with PTSD upon returning home, offers a uniquely personal and clear-eyed account of military culture and life as a veteran. Judges called Brennan’s blogging “fresh,” “powerful” and “profound.” Brennan's contributions to the "At War" blog were originally published in the New York Times in 2012.

Chaplain Tells Military Sexual Assault Victim: "Rape Was God's Will"

Senate committee hears disturbing testimony from military women who were victims of rape by other military service members.   More »

No End In Sight: Disability Benefits For Veterans Further Delayed

Ochberg fellow Aaron Glantz highlights the failures of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide disability benefits to veterans. More »

Reporters Exposed to Traumatic Events: Tips for Managers and Editors

Staff care tips for managers and editors of news personnel exposed to traumatic events.

Working with Victims and Survivors: Minimise Further Harm

Suggested ways news personnel can minimise further harm when working with victims and survivors.

The Wilderness After War

In a video produced for the Dart Society, 2005 Ochberg fellow Lori Grinker profiled three former U.S. service members who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. More »

Delay, Deny, Wait Till I Die: Number of Veterans Who Die Waiting for Benefits Claims Skyrockets

2011 Ochberg fellow Aaron Glantz reveals that in the fiscal year that ended in September, the Department of Veterans Affairs paid $437 million in retroactive benefits to the survivors of nearly 19,500 veterans who died waiting for their benefits. More »

Scar Tissue: 1 Crime. 2 Writers. 18 Years.

On August 7, 1994, a deranged man brutally stabbed seven people in a New Haven cafe. Award-winning writers Emily Bernard and Bruce Shapiro, both critically injured that night, pondered the attack in essays written nearly two decades apart. In November 2012, they continued the conversation at Columbia University.

Mi Recuperación (My Recovery)

Dr. Elana Newman and her staff have developed a confidential online psychological program developed from social cognitive theory (SCT) to empower Spanish-speaking individuals who have experienced a traumatic event. More »

Stellar New Work by Ochberg Fellows

The new issue of Dart Society Reports, put out by our friends at the Dart Society, includes outstanding new work by seven Ochberg Fellows. More »

Australian PTSD Trial Spotlights Mental Health Issues in Journalism

In a case being closely watched by the Australian media, an award-winning photojournalist is suing The Age newspaper in Melbourne, claiming the paper failed to provide a safe workplace and breaching its responsibility to care for her mental health. More »

Suicide Statistics

 A fact-sheet of both national and international statistics relating to suicide 

PTSD vs. PTSI: More Than A Name

With suicide rates in the U.S. armed forces at record highs, debate is raging about whether changing the name post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) would help reduce stigma. The Dart Center asked three leading clinicians and researchers to weigh in.

An Injury, Not A Disorder

By Frank Ochberg

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has been an accepted diagnosis since 1980. It's time for clinicians to adopt a new name - Post-Traumatic Stress Injury - that is more accurate, hopeful and honorable.