Take care: Resources for Minn. journalists covering political violence at home

By Meg Martin | Minnesota Journalism Center

In the early hours of June 14, Minnesota was thrust into the national spotlight again, with news of the killings of House DFL leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the wounding of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. The man accused of shooting the couples is alleged to have visited the homes of at least two other Minnesota lawmakers before fleeing law enforcement.

Journalists across the state have been covering this story of political violence, public safety threats and community grief since the news broke Saturday morning. This work is heavy, essential — and, for many, intensely personal.

Psychosocial safety: Covering gun violence in your community (CPJ)

No matter the role a person plays in coverage like this — front-line reporting, door-knocking, editing, production, design, layout, newsroom support and beyond — they are exposed to trauma that can have a lasting impact.

In the same way, every role in the newsroom can contribute to a culture of openness and support: Checking in on one another, listening closely and modeling practices of care and connection whenever possible.

This applies doubly to our freelance colleagues, who often have less access to support, care and available resources.

The MJC has compiled resources for supporting your teams’ and colleagues’ mental health from our partners at the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the International Women’s Media Foundation and others. We hope you’ll use them, share them and keep them nearby as you navigate this coverage.

• Big picture: Building a culture of support
• Before an assignment: Preparation is care  
• During an assignment: Communication is key
• After an assignment: Keep checking in
• Longer term: Understand the impact

Questions, suggestions or more information: If you are a Minnesota journalist looking for more resources, training or tools, please don’t hesitate to contact us at the MJC: (612) 626-7765 or [email protected].

Big picture: Building a culture of support

Samantha Ragland of the American Press Institute has developed an excellent resource on  trauma-informed leadership.

Simply put, she writes:

“To be trauma-informed as a news leader or reporter is to know that what happens to us

• is important.
• will influence behavior and health.
• will motivate us to act uniquely and accordingly.”
   

Leaders who are trauma-informed, she says, “have created enough psychological safety to be trusted by their teams and to respond accordingly when a traumatic exposure has happened. These leaders are not therapists, nor do they pretend to be. But they are present, and they do lean on their journalistic curiosity to discover what happened and what to do next.”

Trauma-informed leadership: How psychological safety can enhance journalistic well-being – Samantha Ragland (API)

That approach to leadership can take on many different forms, but can include, in stories like this:

• Regularly checking in on people across the newsroom
• Articulating your team’s mission and purpose in the coverage
• Making it easy for folks across the organization to access mental health and other resources
• Paying attention to who’s been exposed to disturbing or intense information in videos, photos or documents (like warrants, charging documents or other materials)
• Giving people breaks and sharing the burden of coverage, quick-turn and long-term (planning and organization can be forms of care, too)
• Understanding how individuals’ identities and experiences intersect with the story
• Normalizing care, out loud — of ourselves and each other
• Creating a safe environment where people feel comfortable saying they need space, a break or other support

More resources

• How to create an emotionally safe space (API)
• Mental health tips and resources (International Center for Journalists)
• API’s “Taking Care” guide – request a PDF
• What bosses need to know about trauma (National Press Club)

Before an assignment: Preparation is care  

Preparation and planning — even in developing or breaking news situations — can be a powerful form of care for your newsroom.

So can focus: The Committee to Protect Journalists’ excellent tipsheet for covering gun violence in a community reminds both newsroom managers and staff that defining a mission in the coverage — and reiterating it regularly — can be a key element to building a newsroom’s resilience in the midst of a challenging story.

Embedded within that mission is a commitment to navigating relationships within the communities we’re reporting on — and for — through a trauma-informed lens: “Journalists’ well-being,” CPJ writes, “is supported by the belief that their work has both purpose and potential for positive impact—that they do no harm to their sources."

Similarly, the Dart Center suggests developing trauma awareness briefings when planning coverage and assigning roles.

The idea: Being aware of the risks inherent in covering traumatic stories — and how your team might navigate them — can give teams the confidence that the newsroom has their back, so they can in turn dive into some of the toughest assignments.

From the Dart Center’s staff care tips for managers and editors:

• Acknowledge and show appreciation even before people go. Feeling valued keeps people emotionally balanced and more invested in hard work.
• Remember that all those involved in newsgathering can be exposed to trauma — not just the front line. Picture and film editors, sound recordists, etc. will be also exposed to potentially traumatic material.

The Dart Center’s tips for covering a hometown catastrophe is almost two decades old but offers some powerful and still useful recommendations for front-line editors and newsroom managers. Among them: 

• Send a message from the top: Take care of yourself.
• Don't chase every detail.
• Make non-traditional assignments.
• You are part of this story: Don't forget what it feels like.

More resources

• Tactics and best practices: How to work with traumatic imagery and information  (Dart Center)
• Traumatic imagery tip sheet (Dart Center)
• How journalists care: A framework for building trust and relevance (American Press Institute)

Tools for incorporating trauma-informed practices into your reporting on this story:

• Dart Center Style Guide for Trauma-Informed Journalism
• Working with victims and survivors: Minimize further harm (Dart Center)
• Making a Practice Trauma-Informed (Greater Good Science Center)
• Tips for interviewing victims, witnesses and survivors (Dart Center)

During an assignment: Communication is key

Some of the Dart Center’s best practices for supporting journalists covering traumatic events echoes common recommendations for physical safety in challenging stories: Maintain contact, offer encouragement, create space for honesty, encourage self-care, manage contact from other departments in your organization, rotate people in and out of intense assignments.

In short: Stay connected and keep lines of communication open and clear.
 

After an assignment: Keep checking in

Most coverage of traumatic stories is ongoing — all-hands-on-deck efforts over a significant period of time. Even when the acute crisis is over, most resources say that regular check-ins with everyone involved are critical.

In the short term, make a practice to debrief after every assignment.

The Dart Center’s staff care tips for managers and editors says “it’s essential that managers make contact with anyone on their staff who’s been through a distressing experience. This is good management anyway, but is especially important in the aftermath of trauma.” And remember that people’s responses to the story they’re covering will vary over time. That’s why creating safe spaces for teams to communicate, over time, is essential.

Strategies: How to create an emotionally safe space (API)

The Dart Center’s guides say encouraging journalists to stay connected to family, friends and social networks throughout the complex coverage is helpful. So is seeking out counseling and other mental health resources.

The Journalist Trauma Support Network, a project of the Dart Center, has trained cohorts of mental health professionals on the specific needs of journalists who have covered complex and traumatic events. JTSN maintains a directory of the practitioners who have gone through their training and a list of resources for journalists to find financial assistance for accessing mental health care.

Journalist-specific mental health support: Minnesota therapist directory  | Financial assistance resources (Journalist Trauma Support Network)

These tools are for everybody, from front-line reporters to designers to editors. Remember, the Dart Center says, that news leaders “are also part of the ‘ripple effect of trauma.’ Notice your own emotions and don’t be surprised if you also feel some of the above symptoms or others that seem out of the ordinary. Make sure you apply self care and talk to someone as well.”

More resources

• How to make room for self-care in your work (API)
• How to offer support: Psychological first aid and social support for family, friends and colleagues (VA)
• Self-assessment: Mental health self-evaluation checklist (IWMF)
• ‘Trauma makes its way back to you’: Four U.S. journalists on covering gun violence (CPJ)

Self-care tools for individuals to incorporate into their daily lives: 

• Specifically for journalists: Apps for meditation, yoga and breathing practices (JTSN)
• Self-care prompts (Rated Resilient)
• Mindfulness worksheets (Rated Resilient)
• How to: Diaphragmatic breathing (IWMF)
• How to: Anxiety management techniques (IWMF)
• How to: Insomnia management techniques (IWMF)

Longer term: Understand the impact

Most of the guides acknowledge that everyone on your team will process their experience differently and in their own time. For some, the adrenaline of the breaking news cycle might stave off the processing till later.

The Dart Center’s staff care tips for managers and editors recommends checking in with people a few weeks (three to four is a good window) after the traumatic story to see how they’re doing. 

You might consider setting a calendar reminder or scheduling a one-on-one chat with folks on your team for early to mid-July. “During this time, employ ‘watchful waiting’ (keeping a quiet eye on them),” the Dart Center suggests. “Any behavior that is out of character for your staff member is an indicator that all is not well.”

And, of course, ensure that the easy access to resources and support opportunities continues well beyond the immediate need.

Related

• Self-care practices for editors and teams (Dart Center)

Questions, suggestions or more information: If you are a Minnesota journalist looking for more resources, training or tools, please don’t hesitate to contact us at the MJC: (612) 626-7765 or [email protected].