‘Like hanging on to a freight train’: Veteran journalist fights to have his work-related PTSD recognized

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A study released Wednesday by two veteran journalists through the Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma, titled “Taking Care,” found a majority of media workers in Canada have sought medical help to deal with symptoms of stress and trauma.

Adam Kargus in London, Ont.,“I started to see things in my mind’s eye,” Butler said. Images of the killer’s face would flash through his memory, as did the faces of victims in other cases he’s covered over the years, including that ofKnown as the “go-to guy” among bosses and colleagues, Butler was dispatched daily to cover breaking news and difficult, often gruesome court cases. But after covering the Kargus trial in 2019, Butler found himself crying every day at work.

“I would describe the findings as concerning,” Pearson said. “I would also describe them as a confirmation of what we had wondered about but did not have conclusive evidence to back up: that journalists and media workers in Canada are not immune to the impact of the trauma that they encounter,” much like first responders, he said.

As a journalist for more than 20 years, Butler often responded to scenes of deadly car collisions, sometimes arriving before the paramedics. He also covered the G20 protests in Toronto, the devastating southern Ontario tornadoes in 2009, and other traumatic events. While journalists are not formally recognized as front-line workers at risk of developing PTSD, some argue the role leaves them vulnerable to triggers of stress and trauma, as outlined by the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic manual.

Feinstein said reporters closer to home could also suffer psychological harm from covering stories like “pandemic coverage, the recent attack on a Muslim family in London, Ont., the discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous children who were part of Canada’s residential school system, the George Floyd murder, mass shooting and attacks on Asian Canadians and Americans, and others.”in a June 2021 interview.

As Butler heads into his appeal with the WSIB, likely to be scheduled later this summer, there are few legal precedents for cases on PTSD and journalism in the Canada.

 

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Constant Pressure to Spin Every Story to Suit The Flavour of The Political Leanings of The Management of the Organization Journalist’s Work For, Is The Main Reason for Their Stress And Trauma. Don’t Blame The Public For Calling Out Biased Reporting When They See it

The abuse of journalists stems from our government elect being such hypocritical, pathological liars. The journalists are the middlemen (or we like to say middlepeople, right Judy?) and they get the brunt of our anger.

Sorry guys. When we see journalists who used to write unbiased political articles suddenly concentrate their criticism on one side of the issues because of pressure from the new owners, we have to say something.

It's really tough to handle critisism and report the truth in journalism these days

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