How to Build a Mental Health Strategy for Your Newsroom

Overview

The relentless and harrowing news agenda of this decade has put the mental health of journalists into sharp focus for news leaders. From Covid to Ukraine and the Israel/Gaza conflict, it’s not only reporters witnessing horrors in the field at risk but those inside the newsroom, facing the threat of vicarious trauma. This new Master Class uses the ANSWERS model developed by its leader, Hannah Storm who is an expert in the mental well-being of journalists:

A     Awareness

N     Needs

S     Stigma

W    Work Process

E     Empathy

R     Recognizing 

S     Support 

Hannah will use the model to guide news leaders through crucial considerations in building a mental health strategy for their teams. Participants will use their learnings and own reflections to begin constructing their own strategies. The course is online with a follow up call via Zoom 6-8 weeks afterwards to chart participants’ progress.

Who’s it for:

• Leaders within news departments.
• News strategists.
• Health and well being professionals.

What will you learn:

• Ideas for creating an awareness of mental health in the newsroom.
• How to identify mental health needs within your department or team.
• Ways to break the stigma and promote an open and positive attitude towards mental health.
• How to build a responsive work policy.
• Techniques to develop greater empathy in yourself and your team.
• How to recognize signs that team members may be struggling.
• The support mechanisms you can put in place.

Programme Outline

Day 1

• Awareness
• Needs 
• Stigma
• Work Process

Day 2

• Empathy 
• Recognizing
• Support 
• Start to build a draft mental health strategy 

Day 3

• Present draft mental health strategies with discussion and feedback