Charleston Reporters Tell National Story Of Local Violence

In a recent story on NPR's All Things Considered, Dart's Executive Director Bruce Shapiro was featured alongside reporters from The Post & Courier on how to cover high-profile, violent events for a national audience, and grapple with their impact on a local community.

In the past three months, The Post & Courier has won a Dart Award and Pulitzer Prize for their series on domestic violence in South Carolina, built a database of every police shooting in the state following the Walter Scott shooting, and continue to cover the aftermath of the Charleston Church shooting.

"Journalists who cover highly traumatic events are as vulnerable to psychological injury as police officers or EMTs or firefighters," said Bruce Shapiro, who explained that the trauma is increasingly difficult for local reporters, who are simply unable leave the story behind.

"They are grieving as they are reporting," he continued. "Now, this can be a powerful source of mission. But it also can be a source of real stress."

"We don't want to leave the office," said reporter Deanna Pan. "National reporters can jump in and jump out, but for us, this is not just our job. It's where we live."

Click below to listen to the full story: