Workshop: Trauma and Resilience for Journalists

March 11, 2021
16:00 - 18:00 GMT+4
Register Here

Click here for workshop information in Armenian.

These are challenging times to be a journalist in Armenia. The coronavirus pandemic, the recent violence in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the pressures placed on journalists by the passions whipped up by the polarising effect of social media all make for a potent combination.

This workshop explores what it takes for journalists to work effectively and safely on stories that deal with trauma, violence and personal tragedy. Delivered in two parts over consecutive weeks, it is led by Gavin Rees and Angelina Fusco, expert trainers from Dart Centre Europe. Part one focuses on working with sources and contributors; the second on strategies for dealing with intimidation and harassment. Material on resilience and self-care will run through both workshops, being introduced in the first and covered in more detail in part two.

The core themes:

Part I: 4 March, 16:00 - 18:00

  • Trauma: what it is and how it affects people
  • Interviewing: working ethically and safely with vulnerable sources and contributors
  • Storytelling: making good choices when covering community trauma
  • Self-care on traumatic assignments: the preliminaries

Part II: 11 March, 16:00 - 18:00

  • Overview: countering the impact of intimidation and harassment
  • Practical steps for handling traumatic imagery and online abuse
  • Self-care on traumatic assignments: in greater depth
  • Being a supportive colleague

The workshop will offer opportunities to share professional insight, to brainstorm practical and ethical dilemmas, and take away ideas that can be shared with colleagues.

More on the trainers:

Gavin Rees is Senior Advisor for Training and Innovation at the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma. Since 2008 he has been working as a consultant and trainer for newsrooms, media-support organisations, and journalism schools across Europe as well as in Africa and the Middle East. Previously, Gavin produced business and political news for US, British and Japanese news channels, and has worked on drama and documentary films for the BBC, Channel 4 and independent film companies. Gavin is a board member of the European Society of Traumatic Stress Studies and the UK Psychological Trauma Society.

Angelina Fusco is Chair of Dart Centre, Europe and one of its associate trainers in journalism and trauma. Angelina, who lives in Belfast, spent thirty years as a journalist in the newsroom of BBC Northern Ireland, half of that time as Editor of Television News. She led teams covering the conflict in NI and some of the most politically complex, editorially challenging and sensitive stories in Western Europe. Angelina also worked as a senior trainer at the BBC’s prestigious College of Journalism, working with senior staff from the BBC and other news organisations from around the world.