Mental health and media: Trauma-informed reporting guide

Mental health and media: Trauma-informed reporting guide

Whether it’s a natural disaster, war, community-based violence or some other type of tragedy, covering crises is a critical part of covering the human condition as a journalist. Talking to witnesses and survivors, gathering footage and pictures, and verifying information is difficult work–especially when balanced with demands to get a story out as fast as possible.

That said, there is space to report responsibly when it comes to protecting those directly affected, your audience, and yourself. Trauma-informed reporting, similar to trauma-informed approaches across other fields such as medicine or law, involves practicing empathy on the job and using language and tactics that promote healing and avoid re-traumatizing those involved.

Beyond sources immediately touched by trauma, the risks extend to the broader public. Consuming negative news can lead to anxiety, sadness, anger, feelings of helplessness, and in some cases, PTSD. The same could be said for journalists covering these events themselves, underscoring the need for responsible reporting that is informed by these risks.

Information in this guide was sourced from other Mental Health America resources, leading journalistic institutions, and those with lived experience. This is not a comprehensive guide and should be considered a “living document” to be updated and fuel conversations about media ethics.

Download PDF version

8 tips for trauma-informed reporting involving mental health

Mental health is something that affects everyone, and it certainly comes into play during times of crises. The following recommendations are aimed at protecting the mental health of the interviewee, subject, and news consumer alike by factoring in considerations related to mental health conditions, stigma, and retraumatization risks.

Note at the top of the story if any trigger/content warnings are present. This could apply to topics such as gun violence, graphic depictions of war, suicide, domestic violence, or sexual assault. For example:

  • “Content warning: This story contains references to suicidal ideation.”

Include information on where the reader, viewer or listener can go to for help. For example:

Think about whether or not the written imagery is absolutely necessary when reporting on suicide, a suicide attempt, or anything else related to a mental health condition. Never include the methods used for or details about suicides or suicide attempts, which can be triggering. Ask yourself: Does the general audience need to know gruesome specifics for a reason? What value is added by including, for example, self-harm methods?

Using person-first language avoids victimization and perpetuating stigma, and it does not define a person by a particular characteristic. Place the person before the diagnosis by being as specific as possible. For example, if someone you are reporting about has schizophrenia, describe them as “someone living with schizophrenia.” The same is true for other scenarios, such as an unhoused person–“he was experiencing homelessness” as opposed to “he was a homeless man.”

Many communities are disproportionately affected by violence and traumatic events, sometimes due to systemic oppression. Be careful not to generalize or stereotype people or locations involved through a lens of historical tropes, but instead tell a person’s story independently, not assuming anything about them.

If pertinent to the story, ask a person how they describe their gender and sexuality, and for their pronouns. Don’t accidentally out someone or misgender someone.

Understand that mental health conditions manifest differently for each person and mental health treatment has historically been fraught with abuse. Media can unintentionally perpetuate harmful stigmas–such as that those with mental health diagnoses are violent, murderous, unpredictable, and are to blame for their condition. Research actually debunks the myth that people with mental illness are more prone to commit acts of violence and aggression. (In reality, they are more likely to be victims of such violence.)

Consider how you or your family would feel if they were the subject of the story. Is sharing all the available details around someone’s diagnosis or past treatment or criminal justice history worth the risk of increasing individual or collective mental harm, for example?

Terms to avoid and use instead

As with all words and phrases, the below can change over time but are currently ethical and empathetic ways to identify and talk about individuals in a story.

Mental health terms to avoid and use

Avoid: mental illness

  • Use instead: Mental health condition
  • Use instead: Mental health diagnosis

Avoid: A person suffers from [health condition]

  • Use instead: They live with a mental health condition

Avoid: Committed suicide, a successful suicide

  • Use instead: Died by suicide

Avoid: Unsuccessful suicide, failed attempt at suicide

  • Use instead: The person attempted suicide

Avoid: He is an alcoholic, she died from alcoholism

  • Use instead: He has a substance use disorder
  • Use instead: She died from complications of a substance use disorder

Avoid: Addict, junkie

  • Use instead: Unless in a direct quote, use "substance use disorder" or "used [drug name]"

Avoid: Clean (when talking about drug use)

  • Use instead: Unless in a direct quote, use phrases such as: being in remission/recovery; abstinent from drugs; not drinking/taking drugs; or testing negative

LGBTQ+ terms to avoid and use

Avoid: They "identify as" a woman/man

  • Use instead: Use the person's preferred pronouns and gender identity

Avoid: Referencing a person's birth name when they have changed their name as part of their gender transition, also known as their "deadname"

  • Use instead: Use an individual's current name and pronouns, even when referencing the past. A minor exception can be made if the person is well-known and had a recent name change that the public may not know. In this case, only use the deadname to educate the public then use the current name and/or pronouns.

Avoid: LGBTQ+ as a blanket term for a specific person (e.g., Zayne is LGBTQ+)

  • Use instead: Be as specific as the person is when talking about themselves, and only use sexual orientation if relevant to the story (e.g., Zayne, who is queer, said they plan to attend the council meeting on trans rights.)

Race, ethnicity, and nationality terms to avoid and use

In general, be as specific as possible when describing a person or community’s race and ethnicity. For example, if you are interviewing an Indigenous woman, ask her which nation or tribe she belongs to and use that instead.

Avoid: minority, person of color, underserved

  • Use instead: Ideally, be precise about what group(s) of people you are referencing; use inclusive language that focuses on the individual and their identity

Avoid: Racially charged/motivated (and similar euphemisms)

  • Use instead: Racist

Avoid: African American, unless the subject uses this identity themselves

  • Use instead: Black person/individual/family/etc.

Avoid: Interchanging Latino/Latina/Latine/Hispanic

  • Use instead: Use "Hispanic" when referring to someone of Spanish-speaking origin or ancestry
  • Use instead: Use "Latino/Latina/Latine" for someone of Latin American origin or ancestry

Avoid: Middle Eastern

  • Use instead: Arabs, Arab Americans, and/or Arab culture
  • Use instead: "Middle Eastern" may be used in data sets and research, especially in U.S. Census data (see more about proposed changes). However, this is a geographic area and not an identity and shouldn't be treated as such. "Arab" more accurately reflects the ethnicity and/or national origin of community members who originate from the 22 countries that are members of the Arab League.

Avoid: Caucasian

  • Use instead: white

Other terms to avoid and use

Avoid: Prisoner, convict, lifer, ex-convict, ex-offender

  • Use instead: Person who was convicted; person who is/was incarcerated

Avoid: Parolee

  • Use instead: Individual on parole

Avoid: Juvenile delinquent

  • Use instead: Young person who was incarcerated/impacted by the justice system

Avoid: Victim of abuse

  • Use instead: Survivor of abuse (Note: "Victim" is OK to use if someone died as the result of violence, an overdose, etc.; but, do not describe them as a "victim of..." if the death was unrelated)

Avoid: Sexual misconduct

  • Use instead: Sexual assault/violence or, when accurate, rape

Find more terms outside of mental health language in the American Psychological Association's Inclusive Language Guide.

Responsible interviewing techniques

Remember that it is a privilege and not a right to interview survivors, witnesses, and family/friends of survivors or someone deceased, and to treat them as such.

Make sure the person you’re talking to knows they are on the record. Talking may help a person process a tragedy, but disorientation and heightened emotions in the immediate aftermath of an event can be confusing for anyone. Gently remind the person who you are and why you are talking to them.

Not every reporter or regular source agrees what terms like “on background” or “off the record” mean, so certainly don’t assume that the subject of an interview in a traumatic environment/context does either. If a person does not feel comfortable, exercise discretion and walk away, even when normal practice may call for pushing back in order to obtain the interview.

Allow the interviewee to take a moment off the record, sit down, or get water.

As well-intentioned as the urge may be, avoid saying things like, “I understand how you feel” or using a personal anecdote to “break the ice” and turn the conversation back to yourself. Sometimes “I don’t know what to say” or “I can only imagine what that was like for you” truly can be the right thing to say.

Make sure there is a parent/guardian present who consents to the interview. Even if the parent/guardian consents, do not proceed if the child is visibly upset.

You want the story and to talk to as many people as possible, but remind yourself that this is a real crisis happening to real people. Try to be as empathetic as possible and put yourself in their shoes. Would you want to be interviewed during this moment? How would you want someone to approach you? Practice trauma-informed interviewing, that is, avoid calling your interviewee a “victim” or assuming what they are thinking or feeling.

If reporting in a community unfamiliar to you, don’t make assumptions. For example, you might have biases that you’re in the “bad side of town,” but the people you’re interviewing may not view their home like that or have never experienced the perceived “bad” part of their area.

If the interviewee becomes increasingly distressed, use your best judgment to end the interview. A person may initially agree to talk, but it could become triggering, especially if the individual hasn’t fully processed the event.

You may be performing a job, but you are also a human with emotions. Step away if you become overwhelmed. Take time to process the event afterwards, whether that’s talking to a trusted colleague or friend, taking a break from work, or reaching out to a therapist or doctor. Find more tips here.

Trauma-informed reporting: Choosing imagery

Images and video are critical storytelling tools. But it’s important to remember that this content can end up on newsfeeds and social media timelines without warning to someone casually scrolling on their phone. Violent, upsetting imagery can have significant negative consequences to an individual and a broader community, especially one that has directly experienced trauma.

Here are some considerations for selecting visual elements to accompany your story:

  • On-the-scene images/videos can cause secondary trauma to viewers as well as survivors of traumatic situations.
  • Children or young people who were involved in a situation outside of their control, such as a shooting incident, may be associated with this image for the rest of their lives.
  • Is showing a jarring image central to telling the story or is it gratuitous and at risk of desensitizing viewers?
  • Are any negative stereotypes being perpetuated with this image?
  • Americans are used to seeing Black/brown bodies in violent viral videos that don’t come with warnings.
  • Visual elements can also perpetuate stigmas around mental health.
  • It may minimize harm to place a less disturbing image on the homepage/front page and include more distressing images further down in the story or behind a content warning.

Media organizations: 6 ways to support staff covering crises

Well-being is vital in any workplace, but those covering crises and reporting in physically unsafe situations need to know that their employers care about their mental health. Here are six ways to support your staff before, during, and after crisis coverage.

Let journalists on the scene know they have your full physical (security) and mental (emotional) support. Make sure you also remember other staff, such as studio producers and copyeditors, who may not have a byline or be on camera, but who are still reading and seeing the same upsetting elements. You all want to do a good job of relaying to the public what is happening, but it’s important to avoid pushing them to a breaking point.

To minimize the risk of PTSD, if possible, alternate who covers traumatic and emotionally-tolling stories. In racist or hate-based situations, be mindful of sending reporters and staff who may have a connection to the affected community, ask whether or not they are comfortable covering the story, and be truthful that there will be no repercussions for an employee to abstain from working on a particular incident in order for them to protect their mental health.

Talking about a tough situation can help your employees process and lean on each other for support. Provide a space for employees to engage in an open dialogue about the event. Consider bringing in a licensed therapist or social worker to lead the discussion. Even if you cannot gather as a team, encourage editors, supervisors, and managers to follow up with individual employees.

Staff covering an intense situation may be running on adrenaline, but once the energy wears off, they will be emotionally and physically drained.

Make sure provided insurance plans have adequate mental health coverage, offer an employee assistance program and encourage its use, pay for wellness apps and services, or set up a quiet room in the office (not a breakroom, but somewhere a person can sit, cry, meditate, or pray, for example). There are many ways you can support your staff–consider asking them what sorts of benefits would help.

Journalists have a job to do during crises, protests, riots, and violent situations, but many may not have the training or experience to prepare them for these types of situations. Having the knowledge and equipment to stay physically safe can also help protect their mental health during and after a crisis. Offering training refunds, group classes, and other resources can go a long way to prepare staff ahead of uncertain situations.

Additional resources

 

This online resource center has been supported by a charitable contribution from the Johnson & Johnson Foundation.

J&J Foundation logo