Behind the Lens

In pursuit of telling the story, journalists are sent to traumatic scenes and events to speak to victims and others affected. However, that can expose reporters to vicarious and direct trauma as well. They're seeing the consequences, the effects. Reporters can find themselves growing attached to stories being told of trauma, existing as a filter for what is and is not presentable on television. Professionals must consume that media, footage and story details themselves to determine how the story will be told, and will also be exposed to the raw experience of witnesses, victims, criminals and others associated with the story. Registered Psychologist Annemarie Rued-Fraser says that experiencing disturbance is a human reaction. "If you're not physically present on-site, hearing the story in-depth can in and of itself create disturbance and can create those images--those flashback images from the imagined experience; however if the person is on-site after the trauma has

Allie Miller is currently a reporter for CityNews Calgary, but has experience working as a foreign correspondent during instances like the New Zealand mosque shooting--where footage of the attack required vetting to ensure proper details were given. That level of detail required exposure to user-generated content, which can become a work-related stressor (Feinstein et al. 2014). It reminds you how important it is to tell those stories with tact. Miller's career started at Global News Lethbridge, hired after a week of her practicum in CTV Lethbridge. She says that within the first six months of her time in the city, there were multiple death-related cases including the Derek Saretzky case. "This is real, you know, it's not just telling a story and it reminds you how important it is to tell those stories with tact when you are giving them because it's someone's kid, it's someone's mom, it's someone's dad." Journalism requires knowing the f

While reporting on its own can require the ability to distinguish when to take a step back or ask for help, not every journalist can tell right away when a scene has affected them. The responsibility to moderate and keep tabs on the mental state of staff falls on the News Director. We interviewed Jeff Little, News Director at CTV Calgary, about his experiences with hardship both personally in the field as a veteran reporter and what he has noticed watching over staff from a managerial perspective. You need to leave town. You can be gone for days, you can be gone for weeks. Little worked for three years as a national reporter as the correspondent for Alberta, South Saskatchewan and South-Eastern British Columbia before moving to the assignment desk at CTV Calgary. He says the biggest challenge was being away from his family. "I had a young family, and when you're in a national posting, there are occasions where you need to hit the road. You need to leave town. Yo

Kevin Green is a video journalist with CTV Calgary. Outside of his work at CTV, Green has also travelled overseas to work on documentary pieces in war-torn countries. He sat down with us to outline some of his most memorable and intense experiences. What's going through your mind then is that if this goes wrong I might not even come out of this room. Green's work overseas included following a man back to  Sudan to   find his mother after he had fled during the second Sudanese civil war. The war spanned from 1983 to 2005, and the documentary mentioned above:  The Long Journey Home of James Nguen  follows Nguen's journey back to his roots after leaving as a refugee at seven years old. The areas they visited were isolated, remote, and marred in conflict. In his first visit, the area in which they were filming required clearance from a local warlord from the Sudanese Peoples' Liberation Army. The location was declared SPLA property. "What's going throu

Adam   MacVicar  spoke with us regarding his work reporting on the Humboldt Broncos bus crash for Global News Saskatoon, and what it was like for him as one of the first on the scene. This interview marked the first time  MacVicar  spoke on the record about his experience at the scene and the process of engaging the community following the crash.   It was cold. It was very cold.  The crash was South of Nipawin Saskatchewan on April 6, 2018, near 5:00 pm, and  MacVicar  was sent from his post in Saskatoon.  Adam  went with a shooter and was among the initial group to have arrived on the scene beyond first-responders. "When you first get to the scene, separating it wasn't hard because obviously, we had to get something on camera. We had to send it back--we were getting phone calls from our news director: we have to do something. So it was immediately focused on the work. Then when we drove into town, that's when it was starting to get a little--we realized this is defi

The Capstone Group This project is a collaborative effort between three students in the Broadcast News stream at SAIT's RTBN program. Each of us has a bio below. Sean Marks Sean is born and raised Calgarian and grew up around the Broadcast News industry, which sparked his future endeavors’ in pursuing a career as a journalist. He is hoping to get a job as a reporter post-graduation but his dream is to eventually be an anchor or host of a morning/talk show. In April of 2020, Sean will be heading south of Calgary to do his practicum at CTV Lethbridge under the watchful eye of Terry Vogt. His interests include sports, reading, watching movies and TV, and spending time with friends and family. Austin Lee Born and raised on Vancouver Island, Austin Lee grew up listening to CKNW 980 and TSN 1040. The work of Charles Adler, Bill Good and John Shorthouse inspired Austin to pursue a career in broadcasting. When he’s not chasing a story or working on campus, you c