Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma

How Clinicians Can Help Journalists Cover Disaster

"If I asked you to fill in the following statement, 'Journalists are __,' what's the first thing that pops into your head?" Elana Newman, research director of the Dart Center, posed this question Monday as part of a webinar she co-hosted with Dart Center Executive Director Bruce Shapiro. In a disaster, when interviewing and reporting on victims is inevitable, the gap between a clinician's answer and a journalist's answer to this question can be the difference between stories that are both sensitive and effective and stories that are neither. More »

First Responders

By Joe Hight

Have you ever been first to arrive at the scene of a tragedy? Have you ever sent a reporter or photographer to a disaster scene without thinking through the consequences?

Managing Traumatic Incidents and the Media

Issues for Journalists & Emergency Services

By Anne Eyre

Guidance on working with emergency services from Dr. Anne Eyre, specialist in trauma and disaster management.

Self-Study Unit 4: The First 24 Hours

The first 24 hours after a traumatic news event may present a journalist with considerable challenges and opportunities, both professionally and personally. The usual physical and psychological demands of trying to gather facts and write a story under deadline are greatly magnified when trauma is involved, especially when a large number of victims are dead or seriously injured (although even a single victim can be difficult to cover).