Tips & Tools

PTSD

First defined by the American Psychiatric Association in 1980, post-traumatic stress disorder — PTSD — is now a widely-recognized diagnosis backed up by decades of science.  What do reporters need to know about PTSD, how it affects those we cover, and the impact of covering trauma on journalists?

Dart Resources

  • Event Report

    Good, Bad and Forever Wars

    By Julian Rubinstein

    Dale Maharidge and Nick Turse, two dogged reporters whose new books unexpectedly carried them deep into the world of trauma and brain injury, participated in a Dart Center conversation that veered from collegial to chilling. 

     

  • Exemplary Journalism

    Bringing it Home: 2013 Dart Awards

    On May 1, 2013, the Dart Center celebrated the 2013 Dart Awards winners and honorable mentions and presented a roundtable discussion. The conversation explored the story-behind-the-story, and drilled down on what's involved in undertaking hard-hitting, humane investigations of trauma and pursuing high-impact collaborations. Dart Foundation Vice President James Lammers and Dart Foundation Program Manager Claudia Deschaine presented the awards.

  • Announcement

    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.

  • Event Video

    Sandy Hook and Beyond: Panel Videos

    Watch our entire slate of panels from the symposium.

  • Special Report

    Crisis Reporting in the Age of Social Media

    By Anna Codrea-Rado

    In the high stakes business of trauma reporting, social media has become a powerful and controversial journalistic tool. We are also only just beginning to understand how to use it. A special report in advance of our symposium on Monday, April 22, in conjunction with the Tow Center for Digital Journalism, at Columbia Journalism School: Sandy Hook and Beyond: Breaking News, Trauma and Aftermath.

More Features »

Outside Resources

  • Information for the Media

    International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies

    An excellent compilation of general information, fact sheets, and specialized trauma resources for journalists and media professionals.

  • Terrorism and Disasters

    International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies

    A variety of educational materials for clinicians and individuals to use in response to terror attacks around the world.

  • PTSD in Journalists

    National Center for PTSD

    A National Center for PTSD Fact Sheet that discusses traumatic events encountered by journalists and key studies pertaining to journalists and PTSD.

  • Child Sexual Abuse

    National Center for PTSD

    A National Center for PTSD Fact Sheet. It details the effects of sexual abuse on children, and adults exposed to sexual abuse as children.

  • The Effects of Community Violence on Children and Adolescents

    National Center for PTSD

    A National Center for PTSD Fact Sheet. A summary of the specific effects of community violence on children and adolescents.

  • Terrorist Attacks and Children

    National Center for PTSD

    A summary of research involving children's responses to terrorism and strategies for helping them recover.

  • Childhood Traumatic Grief: Educational Materials [PDF]

    National Child Traumatic Stress Network

    The NCTSN has published recommendations for journalists who cover childhood trauma.

All Tips & Tools

Sources

  • Reuters

    Global information and news service

  • Science Daily

    The latest research news. Lots of useful information.

  • Miller-McCune

    Resource for Research, Media and Public Policy.

  • Reuters

    Global information and news service

  • Science Daily

    The latest research news. Lots of useful information.

  • Miller-McCune

    Resource for Research, Media and Public Policy.