Trauma takes its toll on jounalists in the MENA region

DW

22-07-2025

From reporting in the field to working in the editing room, journalists can face a multitude of traumatic experiences. Yet recognizing the need for psychological support can be difficult for many.
Journalists, not unlike firefighters and police officers, are first responders to crisis and disaster situations. Yet, according to the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, journalists are often the last to recognize the psychological impact of their work.
For journalists who live in conflict regions and those reporting on catastrophe – from natural disasters to car accidents – trauma can affect them even after the camera stops rolling and the story is published.
The Dart Center describes a journalist's relationship to traumatic events as two-fold: Journalists interview and communicate with people experiencing trauma themselves. As first responders who can find themselves in danger, journalists also suffer from trauma.
So, how can they deal with it both in their jobs and when they go home? Defining trauma
Trauma is a part of being human, and can be defined as any disturbing experience that has negative, long-lasting effects on the person. Not all trauma leads to conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but it can affect people's lives in a variety of ways.
"Just because someone experiences something traumatic doesn't mean they will be traumatized," said mental health consultant Khaled Nasser, a trainer with the Dart Center. From Lebanon, Nasser would know. As a therapist specializing in trauma, he has worked with journalists throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), conducting trainings and sessions with DW Akademie projects and partners.
Research shows that only about 20 percent of people who experience a traumatic event develop a disorder with symptoms that range from panic attacks to sleeplessness to an increased fight-or-flight response. On the other hand, most people do recover from traumatic events and continue to live their lives normally.
For those who do suffer from trauma-related disorders, it is particularly challenging for journalists to have a chance to recover. The challenge grows for journalists in the MENA region, who have been witness to instability and upheaval over the past decade.
"In my work, I am seeing that the war in Gaza, for example, is having an impact on journalists in Yemen," Nasser explained. "It is a form of re-traumatization, as it is similar to what they went through five, six, seven years ago. So, their brain takes them to the place and time when they heard the bombs coming down in their city." Shocking events, such as the harbor explosion that rocked Beirut in 2020, can re-traumatize those who lived through events like Lebanon's civil war Image: Marwan Naamani/dpa/picture alliance Trauma can cause a physical reaction
Many journalists struggle to understand how traumatic events affect them. Sheila Mysorekar, a senior consultant with DW Akademie, has held trainings on trauma for journalists living in difficult situations, such as in South Sudan and Libya during both countries' civil wars.
When conducting a training with DW Akademie in Tunisia for Libyan journalists, Mysorekar noticed that many of the young journalists, mostly in their early twenties, competed with each other. They compared who had been closer to the fighting, taking risks that most older journalists would not dare to do.
Yet it was only after the young journalists had a moment away from the intensity that the effects of trauma started to set in.
"When we brought journalists to Tunisia, every single day someone was sick," she said. "Headaches, stomach aches, trips to the hospital."
The journalists experienced a delayed response to the overwhelming stress they experienced during their work. "Now they were in a safe place, they could actually react," said Mysorekar.
For Mysorekar, it was a reminder that recognizing the psychological toll on journalists needs to happen not only on a personal level but also at an organizational level.
"Media houses think of bulletproof vests. But they also need to think of psychosocial stability for journalists," she said. Finding control
When journalists and media organizations do recognize the need for psychological help, Nasser provides both individual and team-oriented support.
Creating a sense of stability and a way to make an impact, he said, is important for those suffering from trauma-related disorders.
"I help build two things. One, a sense of control and two, a sense of self," Nasser said.
The intensity and pace of being a journalist, however, make it hard to develop a sense of control over surroundings. Instead, he works with journalists to establish a healthy relationship with their work, whether the journalists are in the field or in the editing room.
His approach is to support the positive ways in which they create a sense of meaning around their journalism. Many journalists see their work as a tool to create change in society, oftentimes viewing themselves as activists.
"It is not about avoiding threats, but about building their capacity to face them," Nasser explained. "Journalists don't know how strong they are."
On a practical level, he encourages healthy routines, focusing on habits that are within the control of journalists, such as healthy eating, sleeping well, exercising and having a community to reach out to. Internalizing trauma
Experiencing trauma, especially over a sustained period, can increase the prevalence of other issues, such as depression, anxiety or substance abuse. It can also lead to a burnout, which can make journalists feel their work is valueless. This can be especially difficult for journalists whose identity can be strongly attached to their work.
"Many times, journalists in conflict areas stop writing, stop producing," said Nasser.
For journalists both in and outside of conflict regions, looking to find stories of people working toward positive change can be a kind of salve against the helplessness one can feel when covering stories of people without agency, who are the victims of larger events outside of their control.
"We always identify with our subject," Nasser said. "If you watch a character suffering in a movie, you feel the suffering. If the hero wins, it feels like you win, too. And this happens in reporting." Covering stories such as the massacre Darayya, Syria are difficult to tell responsibly Image: DW Trauma-informed journalism
Journalists deal directly with trauma regularly, sometimes being one of the first points of contact with someone who has recently or is currently experiencing trauma. In many ways, this puts a journalist in a unique and difficult position.
Simply getting the facts is not necessarily enough for journalists who have to keep their subject in mind. They must get the story but also mitigate any damage to what might be someone's fragile mental state.
Thankfully, more attention is being paid to how journalists interact with the people they cover and with themselves. To understand best practices for journalists, read the article by Nasser and visit the Dart Center website for more information and helpful resources.