Journalists need to “take care of yourself.”
That is the message and lesson students and the public who attend an upcoming journalism ethics summit at the University of Arkansas will learn.
The university’s Center for Ethics in Journalism’s Ethics Summit is Oct. 27 and lasts from 9:30 to 10:45 AM. “The panel aims to better explain what trauma is and how exposure to traumatic events, such as plane and car crashes, natural disasters and crimes, can affect reporters or the subjects of their stories,” the university’s news announcement states.
“It’s not too early for students to start thinking about taking care of themselves and their peers in the newsroom,” David Handschuh, the center’s current visiting distinguished professor of ethics, is quoted as saying.
The panel isn’t just about journalists dealing with trauma themselves, but also about how journalists can better work with victims and sources experiencing trauma.
Panelists are Handschuh, social work professor April Rand, psychology professor Matthew Feldner and director of the Veterans Resources Information Center on campus Erica Gamboa.
“I would like students to identify positive strategies for self-care early on in their professional career,” Rand is quoted by the university as saying, adding”I would like students to understand how to interview survivors with care and sensitivity.”
For more information about the free summit, check out its Facebook page. It is open to the public.
“We are very excited about the panelists and we think it will be a very informative discussion about what trauma is, how it is diagnosed and treated and how it affects journalists,” the assistant director for the university’s ethics center, Bobbie Jo Foster, told iMediaEthics by e-mail. “We really want the students to learn healthy methods of self-care and see the differences between how newsrooms address trauma in the workplace and how other professions address it.”
Earlier this month, Handschuh, the visiting ethics professor, held a lecture on photo selection and graphic photos in the media, as iMediaEthics wrote.
See tweets about and from that lecture below.