Understanding Journalists' Trauma Responses to Covering Mass Shootings
Raya Torres
University Honors Program
Reporting from Uvalde:
Jesús Ayala
Assistant Professor of Journalism
May 24, 2022
“The law enforcement response was a failure that should not have happened.”
Merrick Garland,
U.S. Attorney General
Theoretical Framework
Journalists on
the Frontlines
.
(Perry and Lindell 2003; Osofsky, et al.,
2005; McMahon & McLellan, 2008;
Houston et al. 2012; Kyle, 2012; Pantti et
al. 2012; Cottle 2013; Joye 2014; Ikhide,
et al., 2023).
Journalists on
the Frontlines
Physical Trauma
on the Frontlines
(Van der Kolk, 1994; McFarlane et al.,
1994; Waitzkin & Magana, 1997; Bryant &
Panasetis 2001; Woods & Wineman, 2004;
Palyo & Beck, 2005; D’Andrea et al, 2011;
Cody & Beck, 2014).
Emotional Trauma
on the Frontlines
(Wastell, 2002; Eid & Saus, 2005; Jaffe &
Dumke, 2005; Amstadter & Vernon, 2008;
Walter et al., 2010; Lancaster &
Rodriguez, 2011; Gaher et al., 2013;
Shepherd & Wild, 2014)
Methodology
Journalist who covered the immediate aftermath of
the Uvalde mass shooting in-person.
Results
Physical Responses
Adrenaline
Shock
Sweat
Rapid
Heartbeat
Days 1 - 7
“In the moment, I feel like I went into autopilot and just felt numb... It really wasn’t until days later that the emotions really hit me.”
-Jordan Elder, WOAI
Unpacking Emotional Responses
Dissociation
“When I go into a story like this, I try not tho think about it too much. You just insulate and brace yourself and hope for the best.”
-Ish Estrada, ABC News
““There wasn’t too much time to feel a lot of emotions. We got there and we hit the ground running, we were immediately trying to put stories together.”
-Pooja Lodhia, KTRK
Days 1 - 7
Physical Responses
Crying
Hypervigilance
Neck
Pain
Tense
Shoulders
Headaches
Tachycardia
Shallow
Breath
Months 1-6
“I went home and I was just angry at everyone... the most random things and sounds would really irritate me.”
-Lidia Terrazas, Univision
“Hearing a mom scream for her child is such a visceral sound. You can feel it, you can hear it, it sends chills up your spine. There is no preparing yourself emotionally.”
-Gavin Nesbitt, KSAT
Fatigue
Sleep Disturbances
Irritability
Unpacking Emotional Responses
Shock
“I had this very vivid dream and I felt like I could touch one of the girls. I was pulling her out of a window and she was bloodied in my arms. I wanted to save her and I couldn't.”
-Leigh Waldman, KSAT
“I came home and I just wanted to sleep for days. It is the most intense exhaustion I have ever experienced.”
-Matt Roy, WOAI
Months 1-6
Physical Responses
Day
Year 1
Crying
Hypervigilance
Neck
Pain
Tense
Shoulders
Headaches
Tachycardia
Shallow
Breath
Clenching
Jaw
Digestive
Issues
Muscle
Twitching
Exhaustion
Brain
Fog
“There were days were I just feel doom... like something bad is going to happen and all I wanted to do was run.”
-Shelley Childers, KTRK
“I would just sit in silence [on my way home] unable to really form a complete thought. I found myself sitting in my bed just for hours and unable to pull myself up.”
-Amanda Henderson, WOAI
Anxiety
Compassion Fatigue
Anger
Depression
“One of the stragest things is that I have mourned the loss of children I never even met. I just can’t stop caring about them.”
-Leigh Waldman, KSAT
“I remember listening to the full phone calls [of kids trapped in the classroom], I felt so pissed off... It made me so angry that these two young girls were subjected to those types of horrors.”
-Stephanie Mendez, ABC News
Unpacking Emotional Responses
Year 1
In leaving, it was really hard for me to disconnect because I got to know them on such a personal level...I can't stop caring about what they're going through."
- Ish Estrada, ABC News
Withdrawal Effects
When I would come home, I just started to want to go back. I’d be home, and I kind of have this itch - wondering, ‘What was going on in Uvalde? What’s going on with the families?’”
- Nicco Quiñones, ABC News
Year 1
Coping Techniques
Finding purpose within stories
48%
Counseling and Therapy
11%
Leaning on peers for support
36%
Substance Use:
Drinking, Smoking marijuana
79%
Exercise (Running, Yoga etc.) or Hobbies
24%
Conclusions
Conclusions
Adrenaline takes over to initiate a fight or flight
response. The nervous system becomes insulated
and goes into a disassociated state to protect the
body.
Conclusions
The stress response to trauma exposure becomes
more clear with an onset of a myriad of symptoms
including hypervigilance, irritability or anger,
and sleep disturbances.
*Stage 2 typically happens once a journalist is in a
“safe” environment and a journalist is able to process.
Conclusions
Journalists who struggle with stress responses to
traumatic exposure month/years after the intial
exposure *may* experience anxiety, depression and
PTSD symptoms. Withdrawal effects like survivors
guilt or compassion fatigue are also possible.
*Stage 3 often the result of repeated or prolonged
exposure to traumatic incidents or stimuli.
Discussion
“Unprepared”
Lack of trauma
informed trainings
Newsroom culture inhibits
emotional recovery
"There's a lot of times that I say, I didn't learn this in college. They didn't tell me about this part of the job in college...I don't think you really realize some of the stuff that you're going to see and you're going to experience.”
- Mycah Hatfield, KTRK
“It feels like there's an expectation to be able to handle covering trauma day in and day out without needing extra time off. And so
I only expressed that I needed to debrief only just one time to try to get an additional day. It wasn't received well.”
- Shelley Childers, KTRK
First-Responder Checklist
02
03
EMTs, Police Officers, Paramedics, Firefighters
Journalists
Respond to events immediately
04
Talk to victims
and/or their families
01
Given time off
to decompress
Provided resources for coping with trauma
05
Psychologically evaluated before returning to work
Recommnedations
Questions?
Jesús Ayala
jesus.ayala@csulb.edu
The term “first responder” includes a firefighter, law enforcement officer, paramedic, emergency medical technician, or other individual (including an employee of a legally organized and recognized volunteer organization, whether compensated or not), who, in the course of his or her professional duties, responds to fire, medical, hazardous material, or other similar emergencies.
34 U.S. Code § 10705
Journalists on
the Frontlines