Mark H. Massé

Groucho Marx authored my favorite dust jacket blurb, "I couldn't put this book down....and sometime I intend to read it." The back story on the line was that Groucho didn't have the time to read and comment upon everything thrust his way. Given that he was often a very serious and erudite individual in real life, I feel certain he would have taken the time on Mark Masse's invaluably important "Trauma Journalism: On Deadline in Harm's Way." BUT unlike Groucho, I honestly couldn't put this book down...because it's a gripping page turner on a sadly neglected subject. Since my writing frequently focuses upon the ironies inherent to any war setting, my favorite section of Mark's book addressed "Frontline Reporting." Yet, all journalism is subject to the phenomenon of trauma, from covering a random car crash, to domestic violence. All these subjects and more are insightfully addressed in Mark's groundbreaking study. He's a secular humanist writer to be cherished. I cannot recommend this book too strongly.

— Wes Gehring is a professor of film at Ball State University and associate media editor for USA Today Magazine. The award-winning author has written 30-plus film-related books. Read More 

Met this weekend with documentary filmmaker ("Breaking News, Breaking Down") Mike Walter, who was in Muncie (Ind.) to produce a corporate video. Mike, a veteran broadcast reporter/news anchor based in Washington, D.C., has detailed knowledge of trauma journalism. Through his work he is raising awareness of the psychological effects of conflict coverage on the news media, their sources and other individuals. Read More 

This summer, my colleagues (Professor Emeritus Mark Popovich, Ball State, and Professor Dennis Kinsey, Syracuse) and I are producing a new attitudinal (Q Methodology) study of news media and their coverage of trauma journalism. Results will be presented at an international conference in Pittsburgh, PA, in early September.