PTSD in the Newsroom: A Grounded Theory View of Organizational Leaders and Trauma

ABSTRACT A number of studies have demonstrated that journalists will experience traumatic events during the course of their careers. Yet a gap in the research exists regarding newsroom organizational leaders and the impact of trauma on their work and emotional health. This study used a grounded theory approach to learn how newsroom leaders experience trauma and how they learn from events such as disasters and terror attacks to translate that knowledge into the work of management. The study also analyzes peer-reviewed research on journalism, trauma, and PTSD to understand how the newsroom organizational leaders in the study can contribute and amplify the recommended trauma responses for newsroom leaders. The data reveal that news organizational leaders can experience symptoms of PTSD and other negative emotional impacts and that news organizational leaders experience an emotional double bind, where staff is encouraged to openly show emotion and be supported, but the organizational leaders believe they will be perceived as weak if they show emotion. Findings from the study are valuable, because they lead to practical guidelines regarding counseling, supervisor support, and training and extend our understanding of how trauma can impact the entire newsroom ecosystem.