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://...

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...

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 ge...

This website is a component of a capstone project between three students in the SAIT Broadcast News program. Its aim is to catalog and display our work as we move forward, as well as to showcase the final products upon completion. The intent of the project is to shine a light on the mental impact that covering hard news stories can take on reporters. While attempting to remain removed, reporters are still on the front lines of the story in order to get the details. Displaying the impacts of proximity to trauma as well as methods for coping with it and moving forward, this website is intended to exhibit such for those interested in the profession as either a career or consumer of news. Check back for updates as we continue to delve into the industry and its effects on veteran reporters!