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 The
University of Washington's program "Covering Traumatic Incidents:
A Curriculum for Training Student Reporters" has become a core
element of the Advanced Reporting course. Educator Migael Scherer
explains that the program's three two-hour sessions are designed
to progressively prepare student journalists to sensitively interview
trauma victims and to craft responsible coverage. Here, Scherer's
shares her teaching points for accurate, emotionally conscious stories
and images. The text used for all session is Covering
Violence: A Guide to Ethical Reporting About Victims & Trauma
by William Cote and Roger Simpson (Columbia University Press,
2000).
Session I: Knowledge & Understanding
Rationale
Explain the value of trauma education: Reporters often
need to cover traumatic incidents such as natural disasters, murder
and war. When journalists understand the effects of trauma, their
coverage of violent incidents improves, better serving readers and
viewers. Point out where reporters fit into the circle of trauma
compared to police, firefighters and other first-responders. Learning
about trauma helps journalists prepare for covering such stories.
Definitions
Define and explain the following trauma-related terms (refer
to Chapter 1):
·
traumatic event
·
traumatic Stress Disorder
·
disabling responses
·
shame/self-blame
·
grief
·
traumatic grief
Examples
Provide examples of defined terms, again referring to Chapter 1.
Explain how news coverage re-traumatizes when it causes disabling
responses to emerge. Provide interviewing tools cited in Chapter
4.
Next, students watch a video in which two reporters interview victims
of trauma. Ask students to identify what helped and what harmed
the victims. What could the reporter have done differently?
Following discussion, briefly describe the next session's interactive
interview scenario: actors will portray victims, every student will
have a chance to interview, all will observe; discussion will follow
each interview; explain that the experience will build confidence
for on-the-job interviewing. Encourage students to re-read Chapters
3 and 4.
Closure
Ask students to write down thoughts, feelings and questions elicited
during the session. This helps students learn to turn their reporting
skills inward and process the lessons. Collect the responses.
Session II: Application & Analysis
Quick recap
Students will be anxious for the interview scenario. First, focus
their attention with a variety of closure responses. Review lessons
from Session I. Thank students for their written responses. Share
the range of their submissions.
Introduce interview scenario (experiential learning)
Again, explain the interview scenario: actors will portray victims;
students will take turns as reporters during five-minute interviews;
a three-minute discussion will follow each interview; remind students
that the interactive scenario will prepare them for on-the-job interviewing.
Coaching
Divide the class into four groups, each with 4-5 students and one
instructor ("coach") per group. Remind the students to
stay with the role for the full five minutes; encourage them to
keep interacting, keep trying.
Describe the traumatic incident and the "reporter's"
role.
Actors enter the room; the scenario begins. At the completion of
each interview, concentrate on helping students identify what they
did well as much as what they did wrong. Encourage group members
to learn from each other. Ask the group:
·
What worked?
·
Which verbal and non-verbal techniques were helpful?
·
Which were harmful?
·
Try to catch students doing right.
Be prepared for a variety of responses. The exercise may trigger
traumatic memories, eliciting strong emotions within students. You
must be ready to support them.
Closure
The scenario is complete. Introduce the actors. Ask them to describe
what worked and what harmed in the interview. Students can ask questions.
If time remains, students should again write down thoughts, feelings
and questions.
Now, instead of simply applying definitions and examples as they
did in Session I, students should be able to analyze their actions
and those of their peers. Ask them, "What advice would you
now give about reporting on traumatic incidents?"
Collect responses.
Session III: Application, Analysis
& Evaluation
Discuss Session II
Ask students what they did after Session II. How did they feel?
How did they clear their minds? This helps students identify methods
of self-care. Give them an outlet to share their thoughts.
Identification
Provide examples of real headlines, stories and photos of traumatic
events. Encourage students to identify strengths and weaknesses
of each example within the context of their learning. Ask them,
"How can words and photos help or harm?" Discuss the importance
of creating an accurate account (under deadline pressure) of how
violence affects a community.
Create
This final step depends largely on the time and resources available,
as well as your creativity. Basically, have students create something.
It could be an editorial assignment, complete with relevant sources,
based on their experience. You might assign a next-day story with
a length requirement and a deadline. Or simply provide more scenarios
and ask students to apply their learning to write headlines and
leads. Give students an opportunity to explore how they can incorporate
the program's lessons into their own writing and photography.
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