MediaStrong

Always an honour to clap my Ulster University Journalism students across the stage on graduation day. These people are the reason I work day and night towards healthier newsrooms. I am leading my students there, I want them to be able to thrive. The world needs journalists now more than ever

Delighted my MediaStrong Newsroom Mental Wellbeing Training, that I deliver to students at Ulster University, is shortlisted for an @nctj.bsky.social Innovation Excellence Award. Ensuring journalists have resources and knowledge they need to survive and thrive in challenging environments is crucial

Journalists see and experience so many things in a working day. How do you decompress after a particularly tough one? After 25 years in journalism, I found nostalgic films were one of the things that helped me when I’d come home and let the emotional barrier fall. What works for you? #journalism

Sometimes the things we see as reporters, we take home. There aren’t many other professions that would see you standing at the scene of a brutal death and then go home as if you hadn’t seen someone else’s life end and other’s world implode.
Great Sunday read here from CBC
www.cbc.ca/news/editors...

Survey of +1200 Canadian media workers finds a troubling amount of stress, anxiety, depression. (May 2022) www.cbc.ca/news/editors...

Interested in the craft, business, protection and well-being of journalism and journalists? I've created a starter pack featuring journalism and media educators, researchers and commentators, industry associations & more. Suggestions welcome! go.bsky.app/JD3XQxF #journalismsky #mediasky

Stunning pictures. I hope everyone stays safe

YouTube video by TEDx Talks It’s in the Broken Places that the Light Shines Through | Leona O’Neill | TEDxStormont

Part of my work with MediaStrong is making the public understand the challenges that journalists can face. One way I did this was through a TedTalk in Belfast. I did this while still wrestling with PTSD, my heart pounding and hands shaking. I hope you will take a look
youtu.be/ERIGYC0WzXg

Reporting on mass shootings: journalist lessons from Uvalde, Texas — Canadian Journalism Forum "For 89% of our study’s participants Uvalde was the first mass shooting they covered and they overwhelmingly reported that they felt woefully unprepared… Many said they felt ‘cheated’ or ‘let down’ by...

Good piece from Dave Seglins on emotional toll of covering mass casualty events. After one event journalists reported PTSD symptoms, night terrors, depression, anxiety. ‘Not preparing journalists to cover traumatic events is one of worst industry wide failures
www.journalismforum.ca/well-being-i...

Journalists often put up emotional barriers to protect themselves from the events and incidents they cover. It can help and hinder in equal measure #Journalism #MentalHealth

Laying out some of the details of @safelyheldspaces.bsky.social ‘s #trauma-informed #journalism training - being piloted in British newsrooms next year at @journalismnews.bsky.social’s NewsRewired conference yesterday.

Second part of video #MediaStrong

Journalism is a proud, noble and challenging job, and the stories can take their toll on us. Journalists are exposed to a high volume of trauma - far from warzones - on a weekly basis. Court cases, inquests, crime, tragedy can land on us. Our journalists must be supported in newsrooms #Journalist

Intentional Peer Support’s Co-director @lisaarchibald.bsky.social presenting her organisation’s brilliant work to the news industry and journalists for the first time at @journalismnews.bsky.social’s NewsRewired Conference. Excited to develop some new preventative trauma programmes in 2025.

Great to see my friend, colleague and @mediastrong.bsky.social founder @leonaoneill.bsky.social has arrived. I can’t recommend her incredible book highly enough. It includes honest and raw accounts of the toll journalism can take on our mental health from some of the best names in the industry.

The annual MediaStrong conference - bringing together journalists, mental health experts, industry leaders - will take place in London in June 2025. Our keynote last year was Jeremy Bowen. Plans afoot for another fantastic event. Have a look at speakers we gathered last year - www.mediastrong.co.uk

We are working to better newsroom mental health and journalism wellbeing worldwide. Please do join us in this quest #Journalism #Health #Wellbeing