How covering the refugees damaged journalists' health
by Jane Whyatt and Jessica JacquesAs a reporter, what should you do when a drowning refugee child reaches out to you? Put down the camera and rescue him? Or carry on filming, so that the pictures might provoke a political solution? Daily dilemmas such as this take a toll on journalists’ emotions. They can lead to feelings of guilt and helplessness, and an inability to carry on with normal life. The reporter’s moral compass is knocked out of kilter, so that he or she no longer knows what is right and what is wrong.
Moral injury has been identified in reporters…
