News that stays behind : A qualitative method interview study on swedish journalist experiences of reporting traumatic events

Journalists are often among the first to arrive at the scene when an accident or crime has occurred. This in turn exposes them to the risk of confronting intense impressions and difficult professional ethical decision making. But how does this affect journalists’ mental health? And how do they act when faced with a challenging professional ethical dilemma? This study examines how Swedish journalists perceive that they are affected by reporting on traumatic events, as well as how they view the professional ethical dilemmas that may arise. The study is based on ten qualitative interviews with journalists from various parts of Sweden. The findings cannot be generalized to all professionals within the field, rather the aim is to explain how journalists’ experiences manifest. The study analyzes the material through thematic analysis. As a result, three themes emerged: (1) impact on mental health, (2) support and preparation, (3) professional ethical dilemmas. The focus is to gain a deeper understanding of how working with traumatic events is perceived by journalists and what impact it has on them. Our study is in line with Trond Idås et al. (2019) who investigated psychological reactions among 375 Norwegian journalists reporting on traumatic events. While the Norwegian study was quantitative, our qualitative interview study shows that the topic is relevant in newsrooms across Scandinavia and psychological well-being of journalists is an important subject to deal with.