Government Repression, Newsroom Failures, and Trauma: The Price of Journalism During Movements in Authoritarian Regimes

The global rise of authoritarianism poses a significant threat to media freedom, with combined digital and physical repression increasing risks for journalists. Social movements confront authoritarian regimes, but this also raises the physical and psychological dangers journalists face while covering these events. We interviewed 15 native journalists who reported on Bangladesh’s July Revolution of 2024 to examine the external, internal, professional, personal, and psychological challenges that journalists face when covering social movements in authoritarian contexts, and how they cope with these challenges. Our findings indicate that journalists encountered major hurdles, including government surveillance, threats, assaults, and newsroom restrictions such as censorship and a lack of support. These challenges influenced their personal and professional motivations, sometimes hindering their ability to fulfil their duties and ethical responsibilities. In addition to daily exposure to violence, these problems caused severe psychological trauma, which they endured without institutional support, leading to persistent mental health issues like PTSD. Under such conditions, most journalists sought recovery through personal efforts.