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Despite the good intentions that journalists have when they are covering a disaster or a tragedy, there are times when they lack the knowledge to report on traumatic events ethically. The codes of ethics that journalists, photographers and public relations professionals follow often fail to mention the way to approach trauma in the industry.
According to the Society of Professional Journalists' website, it is important for journalists to balance the practice of seeking and reporting on truth while also minimizing harm. However, there have been times in recent history that journalists failed to report on the truth and actually caused harm.
When the Columbine and Virginia Tech shootings unsettled campuses across the country, journalists were perpetrating much of that discomfort. According to a study published in 2008 by the University of Florida's College of Journalism & Communications, "Survivors, family members and others associated with the April 2007 Virginia Tech shootings revealed that journalists worsened the trauma."
The study describes instances when journalists knocked on the doors of survivors at 6 a.m. to get an interview, claimed a camera was a breast pump and gathered in mass mobs in parking lots at Virginia Tech. Survivors of the Columbine shootings in 1999 shared similar experiences with the survivors of the Virginia Tech shootings. Some parents and students complained about journalists following them home to get an interview.
Most journalists would never do something like this. However, a lot of journalists that mean well can contribute to the "media mob" that overrun spaces where survivors are processing their trauma.
Although there are shortcomings in most journalistic codes of ethics, they promote ethical practices by including deliberate suggestions on what not to do as a professional. The authors of the National Press Photographers Association's code of ethics encourage visual journalists to treat all subjects with respect, give special consideration to vulnerable individuals and compassion to survivors of a traumatic event.
Journalists are in a unique situation as witnesses and first responders to traumatic events. They can either validate or belittle a survivor's experience.
The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma is a great resource for any media professional, and it provides guidelines that some codes leave out. They have resources addressing topics from sexual violence to self-care and peer support.
Trauma reporting should be an integral part of journalism and strategic communication
ethics. Journalists should be there to support survivors of trauma, rather than hurt them.
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