Reporting under extreme conditions: journalists' experience of disaster coverage
IntroductionMedia presence on site and reports on disasters are crucial parts of disaster communication. Aside from authorities, civil society, concerned businesses and citizens, the media constitute an important actor. The working conditions, situational competence and management among journalists...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Communication |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1060169/full |
| _version_ | 1827919161104269312 |
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| author | Liselotte Englund Liselotte Englund Kerstin Bergh Johannesson Filip K. Arnberg |
| author_facet | Liselotte Englund Liselotte Englund Kerstin Bergh Johannesson Filip K. Arnberg |
| author_sort | Liselotte Englund |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionMedia presence on site and reports on disasters are crucial parts of disaster communication. Aside from authorities, civil society, concerned businesses and citizens, the media constitute an important actor. The working conditions, situational competence and management among journalists on duty in a disaster area are important factors within the complex area of crisis management and disaster communication. This study aims to explore the working conditions, challenges, and coping strategies among journalists covering the Haiti earthquake in 2010.MethodsTen months after the event, Scandinavian journalists (n = 32) provided free-text responses about their work on site through a web survey. The free- text responses underwent content analysis. In addition, self-report questionnaires were used to assess general mental health and posttraumatic stress.ResultsWe found that journalists faced five main challenges in Haiti: situational (technicalities, practical, collegial), professional (mission, approach, roles), personal (traits, emotions, coping), traumatic (general mental health and posttraumatic stress) and experiential (learning and growth). They described a difficult and challenging mission, but also an eye-opening and life-changing experience. Most respondents' questionnaire responses indicated low risk for both poor mental health and posttraumatic stress, with a few significant exceptions. Being properly equipped and mentally prepared, getting collegial support and maintaining professional focus were seen as important, and good leadership and clear instructions from editors at home were highlighted.DiscussionCorroboration of the present findings would strengthen our knowledge of their experiences, and may provide valuable insights for designing preparedness activities in the future as well as for applying to other communication functions in disasters. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T03:53:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-77be1a0dd9c345669bf7797f57d8a375 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2297-900X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T03:53:54Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Communication |
| spelling | doaj.art-77be1a0dd9c345669bf7797f57d8a3752023-06-22T09:11:18ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Communication2297-900X2023-06-01810.3389/fcomm.2023.10601691060169Reporting under extreme conditions: journalists' experience of disaster coverageLiselotte Englund0Liselotte Englund1Kerstin Bergh Johannesson2Filip K. Arnberg3Department of Risk and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad, SwedenNational Centre for Disaster Psychiatry, Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, SwedenNational Centre for Disaster Psychiatry, Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, SwedenNational Centre for Disaster Psychiatry, Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, SwedenIntroductionMedia presence on site and reports on disasters are crucial parts of disaster communication. Aside from authorities, civil society, concerned businesses and citizens, the media constitute an important actor. The working conditions, situational competence and management among journalists on duty in a disaster area are important factors within the complex area of crisis management and disaster communication. This study aims to explore the working conditions, challenges, and coping strategies among journalists covering the Haiti earthquake in 2010.MethodsTen months after the event, Scandinavian journalists (n = 32) provided free-text responses about their work on site through a web survey. The free- text responses underwent content analysis. In addition, self-report questionnaires were used to assess general mental health and posttraumatic stress.ResultsWe found that journalists faced five main challenges in Haiti: situational (technicalities, practical, collegial), professional (mission, approach, roles), personal (traits, emotions, coping), traumatic (general mental health and posttraumatic stress) and experiential (learning and growth). They described a difficult and challenging mission, but also an eye-opening and life-changing experience. Most respondents' questionnaire responses indicated low risk for both poor mental health and posttraumatic stress, with a few significant exceptions. Being properly equipped and mentally prepared, getting collegial support and maintaining professional focus were seen as important, and good leadership and clear instructions from editors at home were highlighted.DiscussionCorroboration of the present findings would strengthen our knowledge of their experiences, and may provide valuable insights for designing preparedness activities in the future as well as for applying to other communication functions in disasters.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1060169/fulldisaster communicationdisaster journalismfree-text survey responsesHaiti earthquakejournalistsmedia coverage |
| spellingShingle | Liselotte Englund Liselotte Englund Kerstin Bergh Johannesson Filip K. Arnberg Reporting under extreme conditions: journalists' experience of disaster coverage Frontiers in Communication disaster communication disaster journalism free-text survey responses Haiti earthquake journalists media coverage |
| title | Reporting under extreme conditions: journalists' experience of disaster coverage |
| title_full | Reporting under extreme conditions: journalists' experience of disaster coverage |
| title_fullStr | Reporting under extreme conditions: journalists' experience of disaster coverage |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reporting under extreme conditions: journalists' experience of disaster coverage |
| title_short | Reporting under extreme conditions: journalists' experience of disaster coverage |
| title_sort | reporting under extreme conditions journalists experience of disaster coverage |
| topic | disaster communication disaster journalism free-text survey responses Haiti earthquake journalists media coverage |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1060169/full |
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