Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma

How to Interview Veterans

Journalists interviewing service members returning from war need the standard skills of humility and empathy – but they also need to do their homework. In this video from Dart's Videos on Veterans series, journalists, a clinician and a retired Marine explain how it's done.

Weathering the Trauma Storms: Developing Interviewing Techniques

By Gavin Rees

Nearly every journalist in the course of their career will interview people who have experienced significant trauma. But how many receive any training for the task? This article describes how role-playing traumatic incidents might give student journalists valuable insight and hone crucial interviewing skills.

Lessons from 9/11 Survivors

By Joe Hight

On the weekend observance of three years after the September 11th attack, victims traveled to the Mid-America Press Institute workshop, co-sponsored by the Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma, to give their impressions on how reporters should interview those effected by violence.

Breaking Tragic News

By Penny Cockerell

It’s near deadline. A story about a tragic killing comes across my desk and it’s my job to get comments from the family. I make the dreaded call and gently ask for reaction to the news — only to learn that the family doesn’t yet know. What now?

Trying to Wean Myself off War

By An Anonymous Producer

I got into Iran on a tourist visa to make a documentary about some human rights issues there. It was a difficult job because we had to set up clandestine interviews with activists, and I knew how risky this could be not just for myself as the filmmaker, but also those who took part in it.