Events

Trauma, Burnout, and Safety: A Survival Toolkit for Journalists

Join us in person on Monday, May 11, at Point Park’s Center for Media Innovation for this can’t miss session.  Two sessions in one day covering the much-needed tools necessary to handle trauma, burnout and safety on the field.

PART I:

10-11:30 a.m. Mental Health and Wellness: The Emotional Weight of Reporting on Trauma & Preventing Burnout

Journalists carry a unique emotional load: they’re expected to witness, absorb, and translate some of the hardest moments in people’s lives, often with very little time or space to process their own reactions. This session will help you recognize early signs of emotional overload without feeling like you’re “failing”, how to avoid retraumatizing interviewees and understanding ethical considerations when balancing public interest with human dignity.  We’ll discuss understanding the difference between stress, burnout and secondary traumatic stress and learn techniques for grounding and emotional decompression after difficult reporting days.

11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Lunch on your own in downtown Pittsburgh

PART II:

1:30-3 p.m. Safety for Journalists in the Field

Journalists face four different types of risks while in the field: physical (i.e. civil unrest, natural disasters), legal (i.e. detainment, censorship, confiscation of equipment), digital (i.e. surveillance, hacking, data theft), and psychological (i.e. trauma exposure, burnout). Learn how to equip yourself and your journalists with practical tools to stay safe during field reporting by strengthening situational awareness and decision making as well as understanding risk assessment, digital hygiene and emergency protocols while balancing ethical considerations (safety vs. journalistic duty), protecting vulnerable sources and knowing when a story is not worth the risk.

Speakers and final details about this session are being finalized. Check back soon for registration details.