On May 20, an online expert discussion on “How global crises impact the work and mental health of journalists: a reporter’s perspective” took place.
Hromadske.UA journalist Bohdan Kutyepov, TSN journalist Natalia Nahorna, Pryamyi journalist Diana Matviyiv, 5 Channel journalist Valeriia Pavlenko, and Espreso Channel journalist Yevhen Pastukhov attended the discussion. The event was moderated by NV radio host Dmytro Tuzov.
The Ukrainian media representatives raised the questions of journalistic solidarity and ethics, communication with government representatives, difficulties of finding news, as well as working online and “in the field” – if the former means technical and communication difficulties, the latter brings about the danger of getting infected yourself and further transmitting the infection among your team and beyond.
Natalia Nahorna: “Any crises, as strange as it may sound, have a very positive impact on journalism, since the journalists have the opportunity to work in different settings learning different methods. A challenge to journalists means more that a mask.”
Bohdan Kutyepov: “Taking into account the mental health of our audience, it is very important to avoid overexaggerating or using hype, as Gordon does. Because when a person goes through FB pages, everything looks much more dramatic than it actually is.
Andriy Sydorenko, head of CareYou and special projects of Souspilnist Foundation, commented on the risks for journalists’ mental health during the crisis.
“If we are talking about all the stresses we have been going though (starting from the Euromaidan, war in Donbas and ending with the coronavirus) , we should note that stresses occur all the time and will keep occurring. This is something we need to learn to accept – the new reality we find ourselves in. Accepting it allows us to move further. But we should also understand that none of us is an Ironman” – Andriy emphasized.
You can watch the discussion here:
This event is made possible with the support of USAID Media Program in Ukraine implemented by Internews, and with the help of private patrons.
