TIPS FOR WRITING ABOUT TRAUMA ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES

CMA President Kenna Griffin gave tips to students in attendance at the Trauma Journalism track session called “Trauma on College Campuses”.

Griffin gave the following 11 tips:

1. Don’t offer a single cause for a complex issue. Traumatic situations aren’t explained by just one issue (i.e. mental illness). There could be innumerable reasons why a person is struggling.
2. Understand the power of images to convey a message. Also, not all photos belong on the cover, and some photos don’t need to go inside the paper either.
3. Don’t make the killer the her. Traumatic situations should not be sensationalized. Think about your audience takeaway.
4. Listen to your audience. Do they think you’ve done something problematic by way of your reporting or investigative process? If you think you have, consider addressing it in your editorial to make a statement.
5. Consider that kids do feel safe at school. We are more relaxed in our natural environments, but we still need to be aware while we’re in them. 
6. Understand the grieving process. There’s never a right way to grieve, and don’t assume someone’s innocence or guilt based off their reaction. You’re there to get a story and learn their perspective while getting the facts of what took place, not to make judgement calls. 
7. Don’t be part of the trauma. Know your personal boundaries. Are you crossing a line for yourself or for others? Be sensitive to your needs and the needs of those you’re interviewing.
8. Understand their desire to not be public. Listen to the boundaries of others. You can push in some cases respectfully but know your limit. 
9. Understand the potential for past trauma. Rehashing trauma in an interview has the potential to bring up triggers both for you as the journalist and for the subject. 
10. Have a newsroom where individuals can opt out of assignments if necessary.
11. Recognize the tendency to exaggerate. The drive to exaggerate situations needs to be tempered in situations like this. Verify, verify, verify all of your information.