During our journalism lecture we discussed war reporting and trauma in journalism. Before this lecture I did not realise that journalists experience trauma or post traumatic stress disorder from certain stories they have covered.
Journalism is an undervalued profession. Journalists expose injustices to the public, are constantly on the job, and have to report on disturbing situations. Journalists report stories for the public and most people do not respect and even despise journalists.
As a journalist, you have to be willing to accept all of the positive and negative aspects of your job. Not all people will appreciate the value of the work that journalists do, but it is an important task that needs to be carried out in society.
Sometimes as a journalist there will be times when your boss will ask you to report on a war or a dangerous situation and you have to be willing to say no. There is no shame in saying no to reporting a story you are uncomfortable with. If you are not mentally stabile to report on a story that might cause trauma it is not worth risking your own sanity.
After hearing about the story of Kevin Carter, an award winning South African photojournalist. Carter had an extremely hard life after joining the Air Force, then becoming a disc jockey at a radio station, and finally deciding to become a photojournalist. Cater had experimented with multiple types of drugs.
As a photojournalist, Carter had seen many traumatic events. He started to experience post traumatic stress disorder aside from his other drug issues. He took many disturbing pictures while he was a photojournalist which had a very big impact on his mental state. He was unable to cope with the trauma he was facing and committed suicide.
As a journalist it is important to confront issues of trauma or post traumatic stress disorder. Traumatic situations are hard to talk about but journalists need to talk otherwise the past might haunt them.
When I become a journalist I will not be a war reporter, but if I am reporting on a situation in which I feel is traumatic I will seek help. After watching a video in class about journalists that have been treated for their post traumatic stress, it is more important to deal with mental issues than care about your image or being perceived as weak.
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