Predictors of psychological distress in frontline journalists

Part of the Reuters Institute global journalism seminar series

Wednesday 18 October 2023   13:00 to 14:00

Speakers:

Dr Anthony Feinstein and Laura Dulce Romero

Location:

Virtual Event

Composite headshot of Laura And FeinsteinAbout

Dr Anthony Feinstein, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, recently published an academic article about the predictors of psychological distress in frontline journalists. The article, authored by Dr Feinstein and his colleague Jonas Osmann, analyses 1,103 frontline journalists who’ve covered several conflicts from 2000 to 2022.

The authors conclude that news organisations have a moral obligation to care for journalists sent into harm’s way. “The identification of risk factors for symptoms of PTSD and depression common to journalists irrespective of the nature of the conflict covered, degree of exposure to conflict, and differences in language and culture is an important step in promoting this duty of care,” they write.

In this seminar Dr. Feinstein will unpack the details of this piece of research and Colombian journalist Laura Dulce Romero, an alumna from our Journalist Fellowship Programme and the author of this project on solutions journalism, will discuss whether new journalistic formats can offer a practical solution for those who are most at risk.

Laura is an editor and multimedia journalist from Bogotá who has covered armed conflict, transitional justice, human rights and reconciliation in Colombia. Most of her work has been published in El Espectador, the second-largest daily national newspaper.

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Part of the Reuters Institute for Journalism’s Global Journalism Seminars series.