This month we launched our report The Emotional Toll on Journalists Covering the Refugee Crisis with a panel at London’s Frontline Club and a Facebook Live discussion.

The report is the first of its kind and found that moral injury was the biggest psychological challenge facing journalists – a profound sense of shame and guilt and a sense of having lost one’s moral compass.
 
Anthony Feinstein, who co-authored the report with INSI director Hannah Storm, told the Frontline audience that education in recognising trauma is vital for all newsrooms. He said that mental health training for managers is key, and management must teach journalists about looking after themselves.

Journalist and photographer Will Vassilopoulos, who reported on the crisis from his home country of Greece, said that although he understood his responsibilities as a journalist, there were times when the human instinct to put down his camera and help kicked in. He brought refugees food and even helped to move dead bodies. “We have to help because we're human, but it does affect you,” he said.
 
Helen Long, the London newsroom manager for Reuters video news, told the audience that journalists are often unaware that they are unravelling. “They are good at minimising what they've been through,” she said.

Bonnier and TV4 join INSI
INSI is delighted to welcome new members Sweden’s TV4 and Bonnier News. TV4 started broadcasting in 1990 and has fast become one of the largest television channels in the country.
 
Based in Stockholm, Bonnier News is the Swedish arm of the Nordic region’s leading media company and publishes daily newspapers.
 
"We are really pleased that Bonnier News and TV4 have decided to become INSI members, and we look forward to being able to support our colleagues there who are facing changing threats to their journalism and learn from their experiences,” said INSI director Hannah Storm.
 
They join INSI’s vast global network of media organisations such as BuzzFeed, Reuters and Sky News, which regularly meet to exchange security information about journalist deployments and share good practices for dealing with the changing threats to those involved in the news industry.  Limited time offer for INSI book No Woman's Land: On the Frontlines with Female Reporters is the first book dedicated to the safety of female journalists.
 
It tells the stories of 40 female journalists from countries including Egypt, Somalia, Mexico and Russia who have covered conflict, disasters, corruption and civil unrest. Contributors include CBS News’ Lara Logan, the BBC’s Lyse Doucet, CNN’s Hala Gorani and Al Jazeera’s Zeina Awad. It is illustrated by stunning photographs donated by Reuters.

Get your copy here.

INSI AGM

Our annual general meeting will take place this year in Amsterdam on 14 November. All are welcome, but only members of INSI may vote.
Please email info@newssafety.org for further information.