Mark H. Massé

My op-ed "When War Journalists Come Home" was recently re-posted on the New York Times' blogrunner.com website:
http://www.blogrunner.com/snapshot/D/5/ /weekly_address_honoring_those_who_served_in_iraq/

War correspondents and conflict journalists have worked in harm's way through countless wars and crises. But starting with the Balkans War in late 20th century, journalists have been targeted. The intentional killing of reporters intensified during the Iraq War and recently in the 2011 Arab Spring. Reality check: When protests erupt in violence, journalists are at greater risk than ever before.  Read More 

Journalist murders continue worldwide. From a New York Times article (12/16) by Michael Schwirtz: "A prominent journalist from Russia’s violence-plagued North Caucasus region was shot to death late Thursday as he left his newspaper, adding to a rising toll of journalists and human rights workers killed in the region in recent years. The journalist, Khadzhimurad Kamalov, 46, was the founder of Chernovik, a popular muckraking newspaper that covered delicate issues like police abuse, corruption and Islamic extremism in Dagestan, a mostly Muslim region neighboring Chechnya." Read More 

My op-ed "When War Journalists Come Home" was recently published by the Times of NW Indiana. It was reprinted by the military blog site (milblogging.com):
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/opinion/guest-commentary/guest-commentary-when-war-journalists-come-home/article_d741b848-e229-598b-ade5-5c2e8fc0ee65.html

Molly Bingham has covered conflict, violence and tragedy across Africa, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Middle East for nearly two decades. She joined a “rarified group of people” who risk their lives to tell dangerous stories. In the process, she has been detained, imprisoned and threatened (“shot at is more accurate”) by both enemy and “friendly” armed forces. She says a journalist’s resilience in covering difficult stories is a combination of the person’s physical and emotional states as well as professional craft attitudes. Read More 

TRAUMA JOURNALISM: ON DEADLINE IN HARM'S WAY, was recently reviewed (12/9) by Matt Porter, the Daily ((SOT)), Syracuse University: "I believe Masse’s book is another welcome addition to the study of trauma’s effect on journalists. Masse’s most effective tool is the stories he takes directly from journalists. The book is littered with powerful quotes from domestic and international journalists who have seen the effects of tragedy on reporting. This book should be mandatory for any young journalist thinking of pursuing a career in the field. The book touches on important topics that are often not discussed in classes either because they are “taboo” or simply uncomfortable. But, Masse’s well-researched book shows the reality of the profession."
http://www.mp-reports.com/blog/?p=307 Read More 

A conflict overlooked by most non-journalists was the civil war in Sierra Leone (western Africa) in 1999–2000. It was considered another “bleeding field” for reporters, as a dozen lost their lives there, including Reuters correspondent Kurt Schork and APTN cameraman Miguel Gil Moreno. Schork, who had left a career in corporate law to become a conflict journalist, was 53 when he died. A 2001 Media Studies Journal article cites Schork’s haunting admonition to his colleagues. “War reporting,” Schork said, “is a job, is a craft—not a holy crusade. The thing is to work and not get hurt. When that is no longer possible, it is time to get out.” Read More 

Nov./Dec. 2011 issue of QUILL magazine honors two slain journalists from Kyrgyzstan: Alisher Saipov (26) and Gennady Pavlyuk (51). Both were murdered after they had reported about political corruption, repression and human rights abuses. Saipov was shot to death in 2007. Pavlyuk was bound hand and foot and thrown to his death from a high-rise in 2009. According to Bruce Swaffield, "Colleagues and friends gathered recently to pay tribute" to the two men, in front of a bronze statue of journalist Pavlyuk erected in 2010. Read More 

Journalism students need to know what is appropriate behavior for interacting with those affected by tragedy and trauma. Instruction on progressive techniques should include discussion of the role of emotion and empathy in critical incident reporting. By informing students of the effects of trauma journalism, educators will help prepare them for what they will encounter, and, hopefully, enable them to be more resilient, empathetic, and effective as news media professionals. Read More 

For those reporting continually on the Sandusky (Penn State) sex-abuse criminal investigation, there will likely be emotional effects. That psychological impact will intensify once a jury trial begins. Research has documented that coverage of criminal trials can result in secondary traumatization to those exposed to disturbing details and images on a long-term basis.