Building resilience in the war zone against hidden injury

Abstract

Commentary: Psychological impacts of covering trauma such as war, or indeed any disaster with loss of life and tragedy, have the capacity to challenge the media professional to develop professional and personal skills. ‘Lessons learned’ from experience will enhance capacity considerably; however there are also the potential negative effects that can cause harm to some. These effects are rarely spoken about in the newsroom, nor are they generally included in any useable detail when journalists undergo hazardous environment training.

Keywords

• conflict reporting
• duty of care
• hazardous environment training
• journalism training
• post-traumatic stress disorder
• safety training