Behind the Lens

This project was put forward by our intent to find out what the effects of work in the field can have on a journalist--what methods are available to cope with the adverse effects and move on from them. In our findings, we know that trauma doesn't depart from someone through avoidance. Resorting to coping methods can help deal with lingering effects of post-traumatic-stress, but finding the right support and discovering those coping methods can be difficult. Finding the answers to these questions for ourselves and our colleagues was our first intent, but we additionally wanted to shed light on this for other journalists in the industry and coming out of it. Thank you to all the professionals that encouraged us as we put the project together. Hopefully it helps. Regards, Sean Marks, Austin Lee & Dawson Enns https://soundcloud.com/sean-william-marks/behind-the-lens-pt-1-adam-macvicar https://soundcloud.com/sean-william-marks/behind-the-lens-pt2-kevin-green https://

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