Have you noticed how the gaps between critical incidents and tragedies that media workers are tasked to cover seem to be shortening?

We’ve had a pandemic upend our personal and work lives, a series of deadly natural disasters, a clutch of violent crimes, worrying conflicts overseas that threaten to escalate, extreme weather events while other parts of the country remain in protracted drought, uncertainty around the introduction of AI, increasing technology-facilitated abuse of journalists, plus the rise of fascism and the fall of trust in news media reporting.

It's enough to lead at least some journalists to question whether they should stay in an industry that is so centred around negative events, yet it’s also a time when their expertise and insights have never been more needed.

Continuing to do journalism well requires practitioners to deeply appreciate their key reason for being: to inform audiences with accurate, timely information about what is happening in their world, ideally without fear or favour. This not only helps shape society but also how it responds to crises.

However, to have a sustainable career, news personnel need to have a deep appreciation of their own purpose and their value in the grander scheme.
In the broadest sense, journalists have the opportunity – some would say calling – to make a positive social impact especially, through ethical reportage, during a crisis.

They need to be equally careful and brave, knowing just how far to push while ensuring they live to tell the story and can sleep at night.

There is no doubt that, in times of crisis, news media workers perform an invaluable service to their communities, often under unfamiliar, even dangerous circumstances. 

Access to reliable, local information during a crisis can be a matter of life and death, a fact underscored during Victoria’s 2009 Black Saturday fires and the 2019-20 Summer of Hell’s bushfires that ravaged at least three Australian states.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, news media stepped up to inform audiences about what to watch out for, where to go for help, what steps to take to stay safe and how to get through lockdowns that seemed to be never-ending.

Empathy, generosity and trust are three key important traits to rely on before, during and after working on critical assignments. Kindness, compassion and an ability to listen deeply are three more.

These are the keys that open doors so journalists can tell people’s stories, often at their most vulnerable moments. They also pave the way for a return visit down the track.

Acting respectfully and patiently can be tricky if an impatient newsroom or imminent deadline is breathing down your neck. But a journalist who is certain about their purpose and their value will make the right choices.

After a crisis passes, of course, news media hold people in power to account for their responses to the challenges that emerged, as well as for any necessary steps towards recovery that remain outstanding.

Their ongoing efforts are critical for society to truly comprehend the extent of an incident, its impact and the adequacy of responses by communities and authorities, valuable contributions journalists continue to make.

Sadly, few journalists take, or have, the time to reflect on what has transpired or the influence they have wielded.

The news caravan moves on and, often, their appreciation of purpose and value fades.

Many news media workers are unaware of just how important their story-telling has been to those most closely affected – either at the time or in the following weeks and months – as victims, survivors, witnesses and others in the community process what occurred.

During my research into the impact of news reporting on victims and survivors of traumatic incidents, I learned that individuals and families often deliberately recorded or collated news reports, from a number of sources, around the events that had affected them.

Some did this to compare with what they knew, saw or were told, others did it for affected family members to share at an appropriate time, while still others were simply trying to piece together a chronology of events so that they could understand what, when and how things unfolded.

So journalists covering crises are truly producing the “first draft of history” as they document scenes, stories, tolls, good deeds and injustices. Their reports will be used by investigators, historians, teachers and many others.

While we may joke about the tendency for news media to be “adrenalin junkies” – who run towards danger and not away from it like normal human beings would – the reality is that news is now 24/7 and the personal and professional impost can seem relentless.

But it’s the core skills – accuracy, patience, dedication, ethical storytelling and adaptability – that allow journalists to find their purpose and be an especially valuable resource to the community in times of crisis. 

By Dart Centre Asia Pacific chair Trina McLellan. To learn more about ethical, trauma-informed coverage of violence, conflict and tragedy, consider registering for the Dart Centre Asia Pacific’s free online Understanding trauma and journalism learning modules.

Photo credits + Alt text:

• 1 Pexels-Recep Tayyip Çelik-Two men stand in silhouette watching the flames of a bushfire.

• 2 Pexels-AnnaSchvets-Women on a video call during COVID-19. Woman in main image on laptop is wearing a mask and a lab coat.

• 3 Pexels-Julia Filirovska-Three horizontal smouldering logs sit atop of glowing red coals.

• 4 Trina McLellan-Photograph of the first page of a 2006 Good Weekend feature, Remembering Port Arthur.

• 5 AAP/Defence Department-Two emergency responders survey the crash site of a Black Hawk helicopter outside Townsville in 1996.