Trauma is an inseparable part of the journalistic trade. Reporters could be on each side of it – they might contract it from their interviewees when reporting in the field or needlessly cause it through insensitive questions posed to vulnerable individuals at a moment of despair. In any case, reporters ought to be aware of trauma in the context of a world seemingly dominated by war, pain and inequalities. This is why the concept was at the heart of this year’s Sofia Talks Media conference organized by the Association of European Journalists in Bulgaria (AEJ-Bulgaria), which took place in Sofia on 28-30 October under the title “Resilience in times of crisis.”
While trauma might appear to be ubiquitous in the world and in media today, most journalists are often unaware of its presence in their personal and professional lives, or what instruments they have to cope with it. This is why the first panel of the conference was dedicated to the need of acknowledging trauma as the first step on the path of coping with it.
According to Gavin Rees, Senior Advisor for Training and Innovation at the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, most journalists simply lack basic knowledge of how to approach traumatic events. “There is an assumption that journalists are not affected by the things they experience,” he says. According to the classical understanding of objectivity, reporters are nothing more than “perfect recording machines” that transfer information from their subjects to the audience. The reality, however, is much more complex: “When we sit opposite people who experience these huge traumatic emotions, we breathe some of it in,” Rees adds. This is why it is essential for reporters to be weary of what trauma they might inherit from their interviewees, but also how they might transfer it to society at large.
His advice to reporters is twofold. First, drop the old assumption of objectivity that treat emotions as an enemy to fair, professional reporting. “If you want to understand the meaning of violence or abuse, you have to feel some of it and translate it to the audience – but don’t fully stay in this emotion.” Secondly, don’t be too harsh on yourself if you make a mistake, but take it as part of the process of growth – as a journalist and as a person. “Just because sometimes we fail does not mean we are bad people,” Rees concludes. His Dart Center colleague Irene Caselli, adds another piece of advice: get mentally prepared for what’s to come during a report: “If I am going to interview pregnant refugee women, I ask myself – how would that affect me?”
Trauma seems to be ubiquitous – according to co-panelist Jana Javakhishvili who is a Professor of Psychology at Ilia State University, even if one comes from a relatively peaceful society like the Norwegian or the Australian, they tend to feel they’ve had at least some very stressful experiences in their lives. Luckily, it seems that all of us have an inbuilt capacity to cope with trauma. Research has shown that the most prevalent reaction to stressful experiences is, in fact, building resilience, Javakhishvili says. And the problem with stress is not that it occurs, but that many don’t have the resources or abilities to “bounce back” after it, instead falling into the trap of Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This means that what reporters need to do is to build up strategies to cope with stress – those able to appreciate life, remain open to new possibilities and spiritual change and to building up closer relations with people are those who remain stronger in times of crisis. One practical advice to journalists coming from Javakhishvili is for them to be aware of their “window of tolerance” to trauma, and remain within it, so that they don’t turn hyper-vigilant and affected by it, but also not numb to it. And never ask questions that might re-traumatize the interviewee – like “how did you feel!”
