Breaking: Trauma in the Newsroom
Stories as told by reporters, camera operators and photographers who had to process trauma because of their jobs unrelated to the violence they witnessed
Reporters witness – they see, hear, and least remarked on, smell things that are not part of what might be described as the common experience.— Denis Murray OBE
YOUGHAL, CORK, IRELAND, October 16, 2022 /
EINPresswire.com/ --
Breaking:Trauma in the Newsroom explores the physical and mental health problems experienced by journalists covering war, murder, untimely deaths, famine, and terrorism.
Leona O’Neill and Chris Lindsay are both journalists who have been affected by witnessing acts of terrible violence through their work. Leona was standing close to a young woman when she was shot dead during a riot; Chris was injured in a bomb attack which almost claimed the life of a young man he was standing beside. Breaking: Trauma in the Newsroom is a collection of raw, powerful, and poignant stories from the frontline of modern journalism. Stories that remind us that the decision to work in journalism can lead to physical and mental health problems, sometimes even death.
The stories are from reporters, camera operators and photographers who had to process trauma because of their jobs unrelated to the violence they witnessed. Stories of how exposure to seemingly endless deaths in a London hospital ward during the Covid pandemic, reporting on the brutal murder a woman on her honeymoon in Mauritius, the drowning of a family in an Irish seaside resort, or covering the carnage of the war in Iraq left marks on those members of the media. They have seen and heard things which cannot be unseen or unheard. Some have suffered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) others have had to cope with other psychiatric and psychological challenges. Some have had to leave their jobs. The impact of trauma is the common thread that runs through this book.
Leona and Chris hope that the courage shown by the contributors will feed into a wider conversation about how those who work in the media are supported in terms of their mental health. A conversation they believe needs to include those who are training to work in journalism and those conducting the training.
In his foreword, Denis Murray OBE states, ‘Reporters witness – they see, hear, and least remarked on, smell things that are not part of what might be described as the common experience. In my own career, spent almost entirely in Ireland and the UK, I can tell you how long a young, healthy male can survive without food; how long someone can scream on hearing of the death of a loved one; what burning human flesh smells like; how hot a petrol bomb is at the point of impact; and differentiate between the sounds made by a pistol and a high velocity rifle.’
In Breaking: Trauma in the Newsroom, journalists go against the grain by telling their own stories. Readers should relish these stories – journalists are the public's eyes, ears, and voice, too – it’s time for us to listen to theirs.
Published by
Maverick House, Breaking: Trauma in the Newsroom is available nationwide and online. ISBN 9781908518699.
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Notes to Editor
For additional information, to arrange an interview or request an extract, please contact Deirdre Roberts deirdre@deirdreroberts.com or call 00 35387 2633011
Contents
1. Hard Cover, Chris Lindsay
2. No peace for me on these streets, Leona O’Neill
3. The Decisive Moment, David McIlveen
4. You can’t override your own humanity, Claire Allan
5. Staring down the muzzle of a gun, Neil Mackay
6. The most insane job, Natasha Sayee
7. Internal Conflict, Josh Mainka
8. Resolve, resilience and a tough skin, Patricia Devlin
9. Matters of life and death, Henry McDonald
10. I have given my soul over to what I do, Cathal McNaughton
11. Burying your feelings can come back to bite you. Barbara McCann
12. Every day is a lesson, Niall Carson
13. Hope wins, even in the darkest of times, David Blevin
14. The things I saw changed me as a reporter, Ivan Little
15. The ‘what ifs’ haunt you forever, Peter Doherty
16. I still hear their screams in my nightmares, Martin Dillon
Deirdre Roberts
Deirdre Roberts
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