Mental health in the media: From stigma to Solutions

By Mariona Sanz

It is no surprise that mental health has become one of the most important challenges for media professionals all over the world. Burnout, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and vicarious trauma are all on the rise in news media outlets. More than 60% of the media workers in countries as diverse asCanada,Spain,Ecuadoror Serbia, reported high levels of anxiety in 2022. 70% of the journalists surveyed in a global studysuffered from psychological distress.

While in other professions these risks are acknowledged and addressed (see the military for example), mental health challenges in newsrooms have historically been a taboo subject. Journalists have often been afraid of recognizing psychological troubles, mainly for fear of not being considered fit for the job. In the news industry, mental struggles have long been treated as a private matter left to each individual according to their own capacity to manage them, and work-related emotional suffering has been considered a "weakness".

The belief that journalists need to have a thick skin and be insensitive to stress, threats, violence, or trauma still exists and has consequences, both for the individual (insomnia, anxiety, substance abuse, etc.), and for the organisation (less productivity, increased sick-leave, people quitting the profession, toxic working environments, etc.).

Fortunately, and especially after the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, these misconceptions are changing thanks to extensive research on the topic - and to brave media professionals who are openly speaking out about their mental wellbeing challenges, despite the stigma that still exists.Mar Cabra, Pulitzer prize-winner and one of the founders of The Self- Investigation (a foundation set up as a direct response to the rise in mental health challenges in newsrooms), was one of the first to do it, explaining how she burned out after having coordinated the Panama Papers investigation.

The firstMental Health in Journalism Summit, organised between 8th and 10th October 2024 by The Self-Investigation, with the strategic partnership of many media support organisations including WAN-IFRA, is proof that the culture is starting to shift. With more than 80 sessions and around 170 speakers, the Summit was a decisive step towards a global movement that prioritises a healthier and safer work culture in the media sector.It was also an inspiring arena in which to address the challenges that media professionals are facing - and sharing - around the world.

Many colleagues who are most at risk of exposure, such as fact-checkers, investigative journalists, reporters working from conflict zones, journalists who have faced severe online harassment, professionals attacked by extremists and their political movements, or media leaders working from exile because of the harassment they face in their countries, all shared their experiences and best practices.

Two of the three days dedicated to the online event were spent exploring solutions and focusing on the key role that media leaders are able to play in promoting a healthier working culture. The conclusion was that the media can - and should - do more to improve the mental well-being of their staff.

A key argument suggested that allocating resources to promote the mental health of journalists has an economic return. For Kevin J. Delaney, former co-founder of Quartz and now CEO and Editor-in-Chief ofCharter, "investments in wellbeing are fundamental conditions for optimal performance and for retaining talent". Having organisational structures in place to deal with mental wellbeing means reduced emotional work for leaders and managers, less sick leave, and greater performance and productivity levels.

Mental wellbeing of journalists is not a luxury, it is a requirement for thriving media organisations, for press freedom, and for democratic societies. Healthier journalists mean happier newsrooms that can create better and more meaningful content. Everyone working in the media industry can "be the change" and contribute to shifting the approach to mental health throughout the profession.

Also launched during the three-day event, the Mental Health in Journalism pledgeencourages media leaders and their organisations to commit to supporting mental health and well-being in journalism. This pledge aims to be the starting point for a set of principles and guidelines on mental health in the profession.

Andrew Heslop

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