Trauma/Grief in Australian Journalism

Trauma and Grief in Australian Journalism

Since November 22 , 1800 , when George Howe arrived in Australia and started production on Australia 's first news , the Sydney Gazette much has changed in the nation 's journalism industry (Morris , 2002 . The rapid boost of information technology and advances in the Australia 's educational system brought forth a radical and innovative breed of young journalists , all too eager to partake in serving the community by divulging the truth

In present-day Australia , journalism takes course in virtually all aspects of daily living . It thrives on

reporting breaking events such as asbestos poisoning and backyard abortions , to bush fires in South Australia (Morris , 2002

The death and injury toll for journalists sent out to cover armed conflicts has never been higher (Feinstein , 2003 ) yet many media practitioners flock to the `biggest story going ' without wavering Whether from the front line , embedded with invading forces , or entrenched down in a nuclear fallout shelter , journalists all say they have a sense of duty to their public , to tell the `real ' story , often without thinking about the toll getting that story can , does and will take on them personally (Feinstein , 2003

Reporters , especially those assigned in conflicts and disasters are as vulnerable to , and experience stress and trauma similar to that felt by traumatic event professionals , such as firefighters and combat soldiers (Hight , 1999 . Foreign reporters often work alone in the field , with limited consular and often no physical support (Feinstein , 2003 . The results can be tragic when stress rises to debilitating levels and goes untreated . Journalists may abuse drugs or alcohol and struggle in their marriages and personal relationships . They may endure , often silently such recurring problems as lack of sleep , hyper-arousal or emotional numbness (Place , 1992

Media men were always among the first to arrive in accidents and crime scenes , often ahead of the ambulance and lawmakers . They will be greeted with fresh casualties and survivors moaning in intolerable agony . Much more than this , they could witness those left behind , still shocked and stunned , whose agony seems insurmountable than those enduring physical pain . This causes the journalist , especially those who with more sensitive emotions , to feel the victim 's pain and loss as if it were their own (Hight , 1999 . Journalists tend to conjure up isolation and guilt feelings and become anxious , thinking they too could experience such fate in the future . From this stems loss of sleep and increased feelings of stress

Journalists usually encounter the wall of grief first at the beginning of their careers . With little or no training , they are assigned the police beat . They learn and gain experience by covering one tragedy Victims ' coverage becomes a repetitive part of journalists ' careers that builds into more than just memories (Hight , 1999

Distress from trauma builds up in a person after they experience an stressful event outside the range of normal every-day human experience such as a serious threat to his /her life , physical integrity or serious threat /harm to children , spouse , relatives...