Time to prioritise the mental well-being of journalists

When a journalist reaches the scene of an incident, there may be blood on the ground. Someone may have died, while others may be injured. Somewhere, a rape survivor may be crying, or relatives may be searching for the bodies of their loved ones. Elsewhere, two groups may be clashing, a building may have caught fire, or an explosion may have taken place. Journalists witness these first-hand, gather information, take photographs and send reports to their respective media organisations, where they become news.

Some journalists have been covering traumatic incidents for years. Observing the horrific moments of other people’s lives has become a regular part of their professional duty, and therefore everyday reality.

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But do journalists get to leave all these behind at the scene? Often, they carry these memories as trauma, talking about which is often treated as taboo. A journalist moves on from one assignment to another. But there is very little discussion about the impact these experiences have on their minds. Do we ever ask about the state of their mental health? There has been very little research seeking answers to this question in Bangladesh. Professors Mohammad Anwarul Salam and Md Raisul Islam of the Department of Communication and Journalism at Jagannath University conducted a study on the mental health of Bangladeshi journalists. The research surveyed 100 journalists and conducted in-depth interviews with 15 of them who covered the Covid pandemic, political unrest, natural disasters and other crises.

The findings are alarming. It found that 10 percent of the journalists showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 20 percent experienced moderate to severe anxiety, 15 percent experienced moderate to severe depression, and 30 percent reported burnout. Fifty-five percent reported using coping mechanisms to deal with psychological pressure, while 30 percent reported using drugs or other harmful substances. The research also found that media organisations rarely provided support to journalists facing these challenges.

Each of these numbers represents journalists. Perhaps they were on the street day after day during a movement, hearing gunfire and watching wounded people being rushed to hospitals. Perhaps they saw a dead body of someone the same age as their own child or listened to a rape survivor recount her experience. But they had to put those emotions aside and move on to the next assignment.

Because of the nature of their profession, journalists often don’t have time to process their emotions. They have to work quickly, verify information and remain neutral. There is often no room to break down at the scene. But putting emotions aside does not make them disappear. Some scenes may replay in their minds again and again, which can manifest as symptoms such as feeling angry for no apparent reason, feeling alone even in a crowd, or finding that a particular sound or smell brings back memories of an incident they covered in the past.

The risks are faced by journalists worldwide. Raymond B Flannery, Jr, a researcher affiliated with Harvard Medical School and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, reviewed 23 studies published between 2011 and 2020 involving 4,558 journalists from around the world. Flannery found evidence of PTSD and its symptoms, depression, and substance use among journalists.

Bangladesh’s recent reality has made the issue even more important. Bangladeshi researchers Md Sayeed Al-Zaman and Md Jahid Hasan interviewed 15 journalists who covered the July uprising for their study, published in “Journalism Practice” in 2026. The research found that the journalists faced surveillance, threats, attacks, newsroom restrictions and violence, along with significant psychological trauma. Most of the journalists dealt with their trauma on their own, without support from their organisations.

The existing culture of a newsroom leads to several questions. Doesn’t a journalist need rest after covering violence? Don’t they need counselling after covering a horrific murder or rape? Isn’t it the responsibility of a newsroom to look after the mental health of a photojournalist who has captured blood-stained images day after day? Yet, it is rare for most of the news leaders to ask, “How are you feeling?” or “How is your mental health?”

International organisations like the Journalist Trauma Support Network (JTSN) have already started working on the issue. Between 2021 and 2023, it trained 39 therapists to understand and treat journalists’ trauma and provided free short-term therapy to 65 of them. After receiving therapy, the proportion of participants showing clinically significant symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety and stress fell from 60 percent to 23 percent. This initiative could serve as an example for Bangladesh.

Every newspaper and media organisation should have its own mental health and trauma support policy. Journalists covering violence, accidents or disasters deserve a few days of leave to cope, with their salaries protected. Journalists who have covered traumatic incidents for a prolonged period could be rotated to other assignments. Regular and confidential counselling must be available. Most importantly, journalists who seek counselling should not be seen as weak, incapable or unprofessional.

Editors and newsroom managers should also receive training to recognise signs of psychological distress. A journalist’s sudden change in behaviour, sleep problems, excessive anger, withdrawal, persistent anxiety or difficulty dealing with an incident should not simply be dismissed as “work pressure.”

Freelance journalists and stringers should not be forgotten either. They face many of the same risks but often have even fewer protections when it comes to employment, leave, or access to mental health support.

Journalist associations could collaborate to launch a mental health support network, funded by media organisations and staffed by dedicated psychologists and psychiatrists. Journalism departments at universities could also contribute by conducting research and providing training on journalists’ mental health.

The most important change, however, needs to come from professional culture. Seeking counselling is not a sign of weakness. Taking leave is not avoiding responsibility, and asking for a few days off after covering a horrific incident does not mean a journalist is less committed. Because journalists don’t just produce the news—they live through it.

Md Abbas is a freelance journalist and a communication professional. He can be reached at abdulla180395@gmail.com.

Views expressed in this article are the author's own. 

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