Mark H. Massé

Terry Anderson, author of "Den of Lions," a survivor of terrorism and a hostage in Lebanon from 1985 to 1991, says that being a disciplined professional journalist does not preclude passion or empathy for a given subject or source. While he believes journalists should utilize the tools of their craft and strive for balance and fairness, not all stories have the obligatory two sides. For example, he notes that when covering the Rwandan genocide, there was only one side to consider— the truth. Like others who have experienced tragedy and trauma firsthand (Anderson was a Marine correspondent in Vietnam), he does not believe that being detached is the proper perspective for a reporter. Being in touch with one’s feelings when reporting on a difficult story, Anderson believes, will enable that journalist to write a more accurate, realistic, and dramatic account. Read More 

Judith Matloff teaches a graduate "Covering Conflict" course at Columbia University. She is frank when advising her students about the risks of trauma journalism: "Know your limits and motivations. Understand that it is normal to have extreme reactions to extreme events. Anticipate that you may feel very distressed; know the symptoms and get help if they appear. That was the biggest problem with my generation. We didn’t have a word for 'trauma.' No one talked about 'shellshock,' or whatever it was called in those days. You went forth with a bottle of scotch and pretended to be really tough and macho and then had terrible nightmares that resonated during the day. Friends became alcoholics, got into car crashes, split with their wives. Two colleagues committed suicide. That wouldn’t have happened if we understood trauma." Read More 

The new age of converged, interactive, and social media has ushered in new rules governing objectivity and detachment on the part of reporters. Old ways are being replaced by immersive, collaborative, and intimate news coverage. Purists are offended, criticizing reporters for becoming too intimate with their stories, displaying their emotions on air, in print, or online. But audiences tend to respond positively when journalists act like “real people” when reporting on difficult stories. The lines, however, are blurring between information, advocacy, and opinion, between honest emotion and showmanship. Read More 

With U.S. military involvement in Iraq ending and tens of thousands of troops returning home, news coverage rightfully focuses on the lives of these men and women and their adjustment to non-combat roles. Notable stories document the challenges facing those veterans coping with physical and mental health injuries, including depression and PTSD. However, what is typically missing in the analysis of post-war issues are accounts of the print and broadcast journalists who have spent extended time embedded with troops and bearing witness to death and destruction while working in harm’s way. Several recent research studies have documented that news media workers may suffer from stress, burnout and mental anguish, in percentages comparable to military personnel and other first responders, as a result of being brutally close to the action. Read More 

Freelance photojournalist and documentary filmmaker Molly Bingham agrees that more journalists are now willing to discuss the impact of reporting on tragedy and trauma. But she cautions those in the news media who cling to outdated notions: "If the (journalistic) culture is: 'Suck it up. Things are tough for everybody. Don’t be a crybaby.' That’s not constructive for anybody. I’m a forthright, honest person who doesn’t hide her feelings well, and I would die in an environment that expected me to deny being affected by what I’ve seen and done." Read More 

How do journalists cope after covering war, tragedy and trauma? Former Washington Post reporter Jackie Spinner’s 2006 memoir, “Tell Them I Didn’t Cry: A Young Journalist’s Story of Joy, Loss, and Survival in Iraq,” describes her nine months (’04-’05) as a war correspondent, having no prior experience in a conflict zone. Spinner returned to the U.S. with post-war trauma: “I was going crazy, driven mad by the unknown of the future and the known dangers I had escaped in Iraq. . . . I did not want to talk about this with my colleagues who had been in Iraq because I feared their judgment of me as weak . . . .” Spinner was haunted by nightmares, “angry at everything,” and guilty for the Iraqi staff she had left behind with no promises for the future. She shunned her friends in favor of family “because they asked no questions and surrounded me in unconditional love.” Read More 

Dart Center (for Journalism & Trauma) Academic Fellowship Program offers in-depth training for journalism educators to learn skills and develop university curricula on reporting, storytelling and self-care when covering crisis, conflict and tragedy. The program, which began in 2010, has awarded more than 25 fellowships to educators from North America, Europe and Australia. Workshop training is held each June at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. According to Dart Center’s Meg Spratt: "Each fellow has shown a passion and commitment for learning more about trauma and applying that knowledge to their journalism teaching." http://dartcenter.org/content/2011-dart-academic-fellows-named http://dartcenter.org/content/dart-center-announces-academic-fellows Read More 

Wall Street Journal reporter Amy Dockser Marcus began her media career as a 12-year-old columnist for her hometown (Lexington, Mass.) weekly newspaper. She believes that journalism is a tool that empowers people, especially those outside the system. Marcus says her years of trauma coverage have made her more compassionate: "The essence of telling these stories is to be humble. My obligation is to bring issues to light and to help people look at things in a new way." Read More 

Dr. Anthony Feinstein, trauma journalism scholar and therapist, developed an online diagnostic instrument on the International News Safety Institute (INSI) website. The anonymous risk awareness survey ("How is Your Emotional Health? Test Yourself") was created to assist news media professionals who suspect they might have post-traumatic stress issues.

"A hard hitting, insightful look at an often overlooked topic by an exceptionally prolific writer. Author Mark Masse' exposes and examines the emotional and psychological toll paid by journalists covering horrific events. In his new book, Trauma Journalism: On Deadline in Harm's Way, Mark does his usual exemplary job as a wordsmith in taking a difficult and complex topic and relating it to the common human experience. This is a great book for anyone who works in the news business, is thinking of a career in journalism or just appreciates the hard work of the men and women who cover tragic events. A fantastic read and a great gift idea for the holidays!" (Joe Krupa, former emergency medical technician) Read More