Discussing trauma can trigger emotional responses in participants, so it is vital to lead training sessions with a mix of professional advice and empathy.
This tool was created to help trainers deliver trauma and stress training in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East as part of the Fojo AGILE project. It offers advice on how to manage sensitive emotions that might arise during training sessions.
Trainers using this tool might first want to read our article ‘Journalism, trauma and stress‘ to better understand the background to the issues mentioned below and the terms used.
Trauma-informed journalism training tool
Pre-session questionnaire
Trainers should circulate this questionnaire one week before the training. The results will help you identify the room’s level of experience in the room and tailor the discussions accordingly.
- Exposure: Have you ever covered a story that involved witnessing violence, natural disasters, or severe human suffering? (Yes/No)
- Current awareness: On a scale of 1–10 (with 1 being no knowledge), how familiar are you with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?
- Digital trauma: Do you regularly work with distressing user-generated content (UGC) or social media footage of accidents or violence? (Yes/No)
- Institutional support: Does your current newsroom have a formal policy or culture that supports journalists who have experienced work-related stress? (Yes/No)
- Specific needs: Is there a particular aspect of trauma or reporting ethics you would like to addressed in this workshop?
Creating the environment
Before delivering technical content, trainers must establish a foundation of safety. Discussing trauma is not just an intellectual exercise; it can trigger physiological responses in the room.
- The opt-out rule: Explicitly state that any participant can step out for a few minutes if they feel overwhelmed. This reduces the fight-or-flight response and gives participants a sense of control.
- Confidentiality: Remind the group that personal experiences shared during activities should remain within the room to protect professional reputations.
- Context: If participants dismiss the topic as a sign of weakness, pivot the discussion to editorial quality. A journalist suffering from hyper-vigilance or cognitive impairment is less likely to verify facts accurately or meet complex deadlines.
Managing the macho response
You might encounter participants who dismiss these concepts as weakness.
- The pivot: Shift the focus from feelings to professional effectiveness.
- The argument: Explain that a traumatised journalist has a harder time concentrating, verifying facts, and maintaining impartiality. Therefore, mental health is a matter of editorial quality and organisational safety, not just personal wellbeing.
Fictitious scenarios
When conducting activities, ensure the scenarios remain fictitious to keep a degree of separation. You might want to read our ‘Covering a tragedy scenario‘ and our ‘Privacy protection scenario‘.
- Guidance: If a participant starts to share a personal and distressing story that seems to be causing them distress, gently acknowledge their experience and bring the focus back to the general principles: “Thank you for sharing that reality. It highlights exactly why the MHM guidelines suggest a formal debriefing process. Let’s look at how a manager could have supported someone in that specific situation.”
Recognising the impact
Use the following indicators to help participants identify the subtle signs of trauma and stress. Explain that symptoms often emerge long after the assignment is completed.
- Physical symptoms: These may include a rapid heartbeat, nausea, chest pain, sweating, headaches, or persistent exhaustion.
- Emotional symptoms: Journalists may experience persistent feelings of sadness, anger, or guilt. They might also feel emotionally numb, detached, or suffer from increased anxiety.
- Cognitive symptoms: These includes intrusive thoughts and vivid flashbacks (re-experiencing the trauma as if it were happening now), nightmares, and finding it hard to concentrate or make decisions.
- Behavioural changes: Look for social withdrawal, avoidance of reminders of the traumatic event, changes in eating habits, or an increased use of alcohol and substances to cope.
Practical application
Trainers should facilitate the following strategies as psychological first aid for field and newsroom staff.
Immediate post-assignment care (The 24-hour rule)
Encourage journalists to adopt a routine immediately after a hazardous assignment:
- Acknowledge the event: Do not suppress the experience; recognise that what was witnessed was difficult.
- Prioritise self-care: Focus on nutrition and sleep. Avoid using alcohol to unwind, as it disrupts the sleep patterns necessary for processing trauma.
- The check-in: Seek gentle support by talking to a trusted peer who understands the journalistic context.
Grounding in high-stress moments
When a journalist feels overwhelmed while reporting or editing graphic footage, teach the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique to help reconnect with the present:
- Name five things you can see around you.
- Name four things you can touch (the texture of a notebook, a desk).
- Name three things you can hear (traffic, voices, air conditioning).
- Name two things you can smell.
- Name one thing you can taste (or one positive thought about your current safety).
Ethical and institutional responsibility
The training should conclude by reinforcing that managing trauma is an institutional responsibility, not just a personal one.
- The moral compass: Trauma can lead to moral injury – a sense of betrayal when a journalist’s work violates their deeply held beliefs. Trainers should prompt discussions on how to report with empathy while maintaining accuracy.
- Peer support: As noted in the MHM source material, supportive colleagues and volunteers can do much to help when funds are limited. Trainers should encourage journalists to listen without judgement and normalise their peers’ emotional reactions.
