SFPI&S Newsroom: December 2005

Newsroom

December 2005

Contact: Mary Tressel
925-798-9421
mary@tresselpr.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Bearer of Bad News: How Journalists’ Jobs Affects Their Psyches
by Mark I. Levy, M.D.

The nature of a news room is similar to a hospital’s emergency room. Faced with life and death issues on a daily basis, staff members are deadline-driven and, consequently, their adrenaline levels are high. Few audience members realize that it is a population under stress that brings the news into their homes each day.

Reporters are confronted by the distressing aspects of human experience and must provide their reports with a professional demeanor. Under sufficient stress, the professional veneer of a reporter, cameraman, editor, anchor or news director can break down. For instance, when news professionals who are also parents are obliged to report a disturbing event that involves children, they may have a difficult time distancing themselves from the story. Instead, the reporters may find themselves identifying with the young victim’s family, and the injury or anger that surrounds the situation may cloud the questions they ask. We saw this identification issue reach a peak during the 9/11 reporting. On-air anchors were vibrating with the same sense of anxiety the public was feeling, but they were not able to go home to the security and integrity of their own families.

Serious journalists realize that they do not have control over many of their job assignments. The stories that are chosen for public consumption are driven by bottom-line concerns about ratings and circulation. Journalists may feel the tension of striving to be balanced and ethical while succumbing to the pressure of corporate giants who have the final say.

Protect your mental health by following these tips for managing stress:

Daily, give yourself the opportunity to relax in a quiet, safe environment, an oasis away from the deadlines and tension of your daily work.

Whether it’s a late night dinner with coworkers, or a cup of coffee with a colleague before work begins, you can benefit greatly from collegial de-briefings. By talking about the common stresses of the news room with someone on the "inside," you can shed the pent-up anxiety created by on-the-job experiences that your friends and family outside the industry cannot fully appreciate.

Recognize the pathological symptoms of anxiety: If you feel as if you are losing control, if thoughts about your work constantly intrude on your personal life, or if you experience panic attacks, now is the time to seek professional psychotherapeutic counseling.

The Emotional Impact of the News
By Mary C. Lamia, Ph.D.
As news rooms worldwide provide anniversary coverage of the deadly 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, it is essential to consider the emotional impact of the news; that is, how bad news and its accompanying images affect one’s audience. In an AP article about last year’s coverage of the tsunami, Jonathan Klein, CNN/US chief executive said, "We’re showing an awful lot of horror. It’s just a question of degree."

Repeated coverage of bad news stories, whether they are related to natural disasters, war, terrorist attacks, abuse or abductions, can have the following effects:

Audience members, especially youngsters, gain a false impression about the frequency of such low probability, negative events. For instance, the tsunami may have caused viewers to be afraid of visiting the beach, while a child abduction story may cause parents and children to be unnecessarily wary of innocent neighbors and strangers.

Audience members may become depressed for two very different reasons.
* Continuous exposure to bad news is hard on a depressed individual’s psyche. They may have difficulty managing the sense of helplessness they feel when faced with negative events. They despair that they cannot do anything to assist the victims.

* On the other hand, people who feel fortunate for their safety and good health can succumb to survivor’s guilt. They may not be able to reconcile the juxtaposition of the bad news with their seemingly carefree existence.

Copycat reactions to negative news are also two-fold:
* Audience members can identify with the perpetrator of a crime and seek similar “glory” in the news.

* An often-ignored side of the story is when bad news triggers memories of a viewer’s own traumatic events in his life. The individual may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder which can spiral into anxiety or depression from exposure to negative news.

Finally, some individuals become emotionally over-stimulated by negative news. Like a bad hangover, a negative story will stay in their heads and be replayed without reprieve.

Softening the Blow

While we are aware that news organizations cannot discontinue coverage of negative news, there are ways for news consumers to lessen the emotional impact of the news. The obvious first step is to limit the amount of news an individual takes in on a daily basis. This is especially important for those on both ends of the age spectrum. Youngsters and the elderly tend to get caught up in negative news coverage because they lack the emotional buffers and the demands of daily work and family life that help to filter it.

Another excellent way to gain control over negative news is to take advantage of the information provided by news organizations about non-profit organizations designated to help victims of natural disaster or crime. By making a donation or some other contribution, audience members gain a feeling of empowerment over bad news.

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News Room is published as a service to the media by the San Francisco Foundation for Psychoanalysis.

Managing Editor: Mary Tressel (925) 798-9421

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