Take Care of Yourself and Your Sources: How To Report on Trauma
Our editorial intern shares takeaways from a trauma-informed reporting workshop
Dear Reader,
In journalism school, my professor described the topics I cover as a “beat of horrible things.”
My stories almost always center on sources that require trauma-informed reporting. I’ve spoken to parents whose children have untreated psychotic disorders, political exiles who have fled their home countries for fear of murder by the state, and incarcerated people facing the consequences of decades of medical neglect and mistreatment.
In this line of work, you’re often the first and only person who is listening to someone’s story. People overshare, oftentimes very graphically, feeling heard for the first time after years of struggles. Looking after my own well-being and that of my sources is vital in these types of stories.
On June 9th, I attended Poynter’s workshop on trauma-informed reporting, led by journalists Lisa Armstrong and Marla Broadfoot.
Here are some of my key takeaways from the session:
Discuss the risk of what might happen to your source after publication. Do this explicitly and multiple times. You shouldn’t expect your sources to automatically understand what being named in the media could lead to.
Explain your reporting process in depth. Explain that reporting may take months and describe what you’ll need to know, especially if the story requires personal details. People don’t necessarily know what journalists do.
Set boundaries. Turn off message previews from sources, reply only during work hours, and ensure that you have a self-care routine to process difficult interviews. Go on a walk, take a bubble bath, look at videos of puppies: take your mind off the work in any way you like.
Be ethical about details. A particularly traumatic story might help make your writing more narrative, but consider whether you really need it and whether your source should be asked to relive it.
The relationship does not end after publication. Ensure your relationships with sources are collaborative, rather than extractive. Check up on them after publication and stay in touch.
Don’t start or leave an interview on a heavy question about trauma. Remember that your sources are whole people: ask about their happy memories, their interests, their friends, and family.
Most importantly, Lisa Armstrong reminded us that you cannot do journalism hoping that the world will change. Sometimes things will get worse. Let go of your expectations and focus on doing careful, safe, and diligent work: that’s your responsibility as a journalist.
Warmly,
Zoe Beketova
Editorial Intern
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nashville Zoo tries to halt proposed data center over animal safety concerns (David Ingram, NBC News)
“I’m getting phone calls. I’m getting emails. All of my social media. Text messages. The community is speaking,” says Courtney Johnston, a member of the metropolitan council whose district includes the zoo.
NEW ORLEANS — Police remove UW diabetes researcher and other experts from conference (Elise Takahama, The Seattle Times)
[Dr. Steven Kahn, director of the UW Diabetes Research Center,] later said he wasn’t scared in the moment, and that he was “willing to be arrested.” While the officers did not explicitly say why they could not distribute the editorial, Kahn thought it was clear the American Diabetes Association was worried about repercussions from the Trump administration.
“I don’t think they’re alone,” he added. “I think all professional organizations are worried about their nonprofit status. And so bunches of them have been quieted, in my view. … This cannot carry on.”
RINGDOLD, Ga. — Welcome to Georgia, where questionable therapies flourish with little oversight (Danny Robbins, Carrie Teegardin, and Phoebe Quinton, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
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Glover encouraged his daughters to think about how someone who lived “2,000 years ago, 3,000 years ago” would describe the birth of the universe, and they noted how it echoed the Bible’s description of creation in Genesis.
“I saw my kids’ eyes light up,” Glover said. He added: “I work in science. I work in church. I don’t see them as conflicting.”
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