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Press Releases
 JOURNALISTS ENCOUNTER TRAUMATIC STRESS, FEW SEEK HELP BROOKS STUDENT SURVEY FINDS Santa Barbara, Calif. – (August 29, 2007) – Three-quarters of the photojournalists questioned in a recent survey believe they are encountering traumatic stress, or have experienced such stress in the past, though almost none are seeking counseling. The results are from a survey by Brooks Institute graduate student Eric Reed who conducted the month long online survey as part of his master’s degree thesis project. For the survey, traumatic stress was defined as "emotionally disturbing situations on the job not limited to a conflict or war zone." Reed’s definition allowed for any type of physical accident causing death or injury. While traumatic stress may be associated with work in conflict zones, three-quarters of the respondents had not covered such events. Reed sees this as evidence of the need for further education about traumatic stress among photographers who work domestically and cover day-to-day assignments. The results, Reed said, "further indicate that, for photojournalists, traumatic stress builds over time and can lead to emotional and even medical complications." Reed said recognizing the presence of such stress as a life issue and the relatively high divorce rate among photojournalists has personally affected his life. "I have a good marriage," he said, "but the fact that I understand these issues has kept me vigilant and helps me maintain a stable relationship." "I’ve never stopped working in the field," said Reed who worked as a professional photographer throughout graduate school. Earlier in his career Reed was a staff photographer at several California newspapers. "In the future, I want to teach, as the opportunity presents itself," said Reed, who has taught photojournalism and Photoshop at a community college. "Teaching Photoshop classes really kind of hooked me." Of the nearly 800 individuals who answered the survey, 76 percent said they currently feel the effects of work-related traumatic stress or have felt the effects in the past. Only four percent said they are seeking professional counseling, while 13 percent said they are seeking non-professional help. When asked if the issue of traumatic stress was under-addressed in the news industry, close to 62 percent said yes. A similar 61 percent said they did not think traumatic stress was adequately understood in their workplace. The survey was circulated largely to members of the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), a 10,000-member professional society for still and television photographers who cover news. Additional responses came from the Sports Shooter Website. Of survey respondents, 59 percent were from the newspaper industry. Television and Web journalists combined made up approximately 30 percent of the remaining respondents. "It was very encouraging to see that almost half of the respondents were veteran photojournalists," said Reed. "This will lend more weight to the validity of the survey results." Despite the large number of journalists who say they have encountered traumatic stress, only 13 percent said they felt they are in need of counseling. However nearly half the respondents said they would take advantage of formal counseling if available. Currently, almost 71 percent say they rely on peers as a support system for stress related issues, even though the vast majority of those peers are not formally trained to do such work. "I wanted to do something that had respect among my photojournalism colleagues," said Reed about the survey. "Unfortunately there is still a stigma around mental health. Consequently, many photojournalists say they are affected by (traumatic stress) but also say they don’t feel the need for treatment. The biggest benefit that can come out of this survey is a better awareness of the subject, as well as a realization that we have peers that we can talk to." Another aspect of the project will be a series of 30-minute video interviews with photographers and health professionals discussing traumatic stress. Reed has already taped a conversation with veteran photojournalist Dave Labelle, a renowned teacher and author of "Lessons in Death and Life." Reed hopes to expand this part of the project and have the video as an additional resource supporting his work. The need for counseling has been taken up by professional societies and universities. The NPPA has formed the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT), a volunteer crisis intervention team. Photographers interested in participating undergo two days of training and act as a peer support network for photographers. They are trained to listen, to give information and to make referrals to specialists. The services are free and are accessed through the NPPA Website at www.nppa.org. The Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma (www.dartcenter.org/) at the University of Washington offers a week-long fellowship on trauma. Fellows attend several days of seminars, then participate in the annual conference of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (www.istss.org) The Poynter Institute for Media Studies has posted a Dart Center on-line course on traumatic stress through its Website known as News University. (http://www.newsu.org) Designed to take no more than two hours, the course covers the impact of traumatic stress on journalists and teaches how to interview trauma victims with compassion and respect. Reed’s full survey is available on-line at: http://www.nppa.org/news_and_events/news/2007/08/images/ReedSurveyResults.pdf About Brooks Institute  |
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