At the tenth International Journalism Festival in Perugia, a panel of experts gathered to discuss the effects of vicarious trauma among news professionals, and possible solutions to graphic image overload.
This searing, intimate feature tells the story of Cheyeanne Fitzgerald, the youngest survivor of the Umpqua Community College shooting in Roseburg Oregon, as she struggles against myriad challenges in the massacre’s aftermath. Judges described “A Survivor’s Story” as an “eye-opening,” “brutally honest" portrait of the intense difficulties and complexities of trauma and recovery. Originally published in the Washington Post in December, 2015.
Clemantine Wamariya, who at age six fled the Rwandan genocide with her sister, spent seven years wandering central Africa as a refugee, eventually coming to the United States and succeeding by every conventional marker. Judges called the piece “clear-eyed,” “tremendously insightful,” and “gracefully and honestly told.” Originally published by Matter in June, 2015.
A list of resources and links for studying the effects of natural and manmade disasters on mental health.
An innovative free resource is now available to journalists worldwide who have experienced distress on the job. The Traumatic Stress Clinic at The University of New South Wales, has developed a new program for current and former journalists offering assessment, treatment and education concerning possible posttraumatic stress disorder and related psychological injury.
Information from the National Institute of Mental Health on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
List of reports and studies pertaining to military mental health.
Information on traumatic stress from the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.
A group of Australian physicians have created national guidelines to better diagnose and treat post traumatic stress disorder in paramedics, police officers and firefighters.
Suggested practices from the Poynter Institute on finding sources and interview subjects for stories about victims and witnesses to trauma.