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 David Handschuh, staff photographer for the New York Daily News,
had just returned to his office when his editor told him to go
to Littleton, Colorado. Six hours after watching the event unfold
on television, he was at Columbine, covering the deadliest school
shooting in U.S. history.
As a 19-year photography veteran, Handschuh had covered the bombing
of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, and the Happyland
Social Club fire in The Bronx, NY. However, Columbine was his
first school shooting assignment.
For Handschuh, father of three, the shooting was an emotional
experience.
 "I cried at Columbine," he said. "A lot of photographers stood
outside the church that day and did a lot of self-reflection.
We asked ourselves why we do what we do and how we do it."
Handschuh said journalists who cover events like Columbine often
relive the incident long after the headlines fade. Photographers,
he said, may be traumatized not only when they're at the scene,
but when they go back to the lab to develop images and every time
they see the photographs.
For months after the shooting, he had flashbacks of scenes from
Columbine.
"Photographers are exposed to multitudes of trauma," Handschuh
said. "Every time you see the picture, whether it be on the front
page of the newspaper or displayed for an award, you relive the
sights, sounds, smells and the adrenaline that is associated with
the picture."
The shootings at Littleton took a toll on journalists, he said.
Stress counselors were brought into Denver newsrooms 48 hours
after the shootings. In addition, debriefing sessions were held
to give journalists a chance to talk about their reactions. Prior
to Columbine, stress counseling and debriefing were fairly rare
in newsrooms and some employers offered staff members who were
trained in family counseling, but not in post-traumatic stress
disorder.
While some have criticized the media for insensitivity during
the crisis, Handschuh said the media acted responsibly and respectfully
toward victims and their families.
 "Most of us who have kids could relate to this tragedy," he said.
"Many of the families reached out to the media and spoke to us
as a way to tell the world of their loss."
For example, the Sunday after the shooting, Handschuh and other
photographers stood at a distance away from the memorial service
to give families and friends of the victims an opportunity to
grieve without having cameras in their faces.
In addition, he said, editors showed restraint in deciding which
photographs were published. He mentioned long newsroom discussions
about using strong, graphic images.
"We're journalists, [but we're] also husbands, fathers, and a
part of the community we cover. We're not aliens or callous bastards
like many think."
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