As insecurity in many parts of Nigeria continues to pose serious challenges, recently drawing the attention of the United States President and Congress, many journalists covering these crises say they now face overwhelming social, psychological, and emotional trauma.
Trauma induced by journalism is not peculiar to Nigeria. Indeed, across the world, and increasingly across Africa, news professionals who report wars, insurgencies, and disasters are frequently exposed to distressing scenes that leave deep emotional scars.
Yet, until recently, this phenomenon had received limited scholarly attention on the continent.
A new international study has now spotlighted the issue, revealing that many Nigerian journalists who cover violent conflicts experience severe emotional distress but receive little or no institutional or professional support to cushion its effects.
The study, titled “Silent Echoes and Deafening Silence: A Mixed Methods Evaluation of Trauma Journalism in Nigeria’s Ethno-Religious Crises,” appears in the first volume of Navigating Trauma in African Journalism, a newly released scholarly collection published by Springer Nature.
Edited by Kealeboga Aiseng and Chikezie Uzuegbunam, the volume is part of a two-book project exploring how African journalists experience, report, and survive trauma in some of the continent’s most volatile environments.
Authored by Emeritus Professor Charles Okigbo, a renowned US-based communication scholar; Blessing Okafor, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Illinois State University, United States; Dr Habib Yakoob,
Acting Director of Information and University Relations at the University of Abuja, Nigeria; and Richard Emmanuel, a doctoral student at the University of Ibadan, the study serves as a pilot project laying the groundwork for a broader, multi-country investigation into trauma journalism in Africa.
The study used a mixed-methods approach, including the survey of journalists, conduct of in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions to gain both quantitative and qualitative insights into how reporters cope with exposure to violence.
“Our study strongly observes that journalists’ good health and well-being cannot be left to individuals alone,” the authors note. “A healthy and well-motivated journalist is an asset to the nation and the continent, and you cannot get the best from a mind undergoing serious psychological crisis. This is a pilot
study for a more detailed research on trauma.”
The researchers call on media associations, newsrooms, and employers to prioritise journalists’ welfare and mental health by institutionalising psychological support systems for those covering conflict, disaster, and insecurity.
They further urge African scholars to collaborate across borders to deepen understanding of trauma journalism as a “global malaise” that hinders the full realisation of a healthy and ethical press in national development.
Although trauma-related research has grown globally, this study represents one of the most extensive analyses of how Nigerian journalists experience and manage trauma while reporting violent ethno-religious crises.
