Managing trauma and stress

The content below was created by Media Helping Media (MHM) as part of the Fojo Media Institute's contribution to the AGILE project, which aims to enhance independent journalism worldwide, particularly through innovation and tools. More than 2,000 students from 30 universities in 13 countries are participating in the project. Below are the resources created by MHM for the 'Stress and trauma management for journalists' strand of the initiative. The project runs from 2025 to 2028.

Image of a journalist covering a traumatic incident created with Google Gemini AI by Media Helping Media

Journalism, trauma and stress

Journalists often witness traumatic events that impact their reporting. We explore the support available for managing work-related stress and trauma.
Image to illustrate specialist reporting created with Google Gemini

Secondary trauma in the newsroom

Up to 50% of newsroom staff viewing graphic footage face secondary trauma. Discover who is most at risk and how organisations can provide essential support.
Image of journalists covering a news story created with Google Gemini

Journalism trauma: why cultural context matters

Culture and community can have a significant impact on how journalists process and cope with trauma and stress when covering news.
Image courtesy of Freedom House and released under Creative Commons CC BY 2.0

Reporting from conflict zones

When reporting from a conflict zone a journalist needs to be sensitive, understand history and cultural issues, and put people first
Graphic for a Media Helping Media workshop outline

Workshop: Stress and trauma in journalism

Journalism can exposes reporters to trauma. This workshop offers techniques and tools to manage stress and protect a reporter's work and wellbeing.
Graphic for an MHM training tool

Tool: Journalist wellbeing charter

This tool is for newsroom managers to use to protect the psychological wellbeing of staff who encounter trauma and stress.
Graphic for an MHM training tool

Tool: Delivering trauma training

Discussing trauma can trigger emotional responses in participants, so it is vital to lead training sessions with a mix of professional advice and empathy.
Graphic for a Media Helping Media Lesson Plan

Lesson: Journalism, trauma, and stress

This lesson plan is designed to help journalists recognise and manage trauma and stress in the course of their work. 

Related learning resources

Training articles relevant to covering climate change

Photograph of Journalism training in Vietnam by David Brewer released via Creative Commons

Managing people and setting objectives

Media managers need to set clear objectives for all staff in order to get the best out of those who work for the news organisation.
Image of reporter and editor created by ChatGPT

Identifying training needs for journalists

When journalists fail to file a story it can sometimes reveal skill gaps. This exercise illustrates what editors hear and which training might fix the problem.
Journalist attending an interview for a job - Image created using Perplexity by MHM

Hiring and developing staff

Hiring the right journalists is one of the most critical decisions senior newsroom managers make. The following guide is designed to help editors choose the right candidates.