Will you take the risk?

While I have considered the possible physical danger that a career in journalism can include, I have never thought about the emotional danger that stories can impose on a journalist. This weeks assignment about reporting on trauma on newsu.org was an eye opener for me. The job of a journalist is to communicate and connect people through the news, whether that be soft or hard news. In the course of their research, newsu.org said that journalists can develop emotional illness by reliving these situations with the interviewee.

Since reporting trauma can be detrimental to the journalist as well as emotionally difficult for the people reliving their traumatic incident, should the news industry refuse to report on traumatic events?

Trauma stories are often humann interest stories; while people would never want to be in the terrible situation such as losing all their children in a drunk driving incident, people like to feel all emotions. Through these trauma stories, people feel more connected to others. Also, these trauma stories can be preventive and informative to people. It would not be beneficial to remove the stories on trauma completely; after all, those stories are news as well as part of life.

While it is not an option to stop reporting on trauma, journalists need to learn to protect themselves both physically and mentally. The newsu.org text recommended taking personal days to sort through your emotions for the interview and reporting the story. Although the consequences on reporting trauma can be dangerous, I am sure the positive effects are greater than the negative.