World Mental Health Day: How newsrooms stay calm

In a world of real-time reporting, journalism can be one of the most mentally draining job profiles. And this is not publication or gender or even region specific, but there’s an old chestnut across the industry that a journalist’s most part of the income goes to a therapist. 

According to the Lokniti-CSDS report, Media in India: Trends and Patterns, nearly seven in 10 journalists experience an impact on their mental health as a result of their jobs. Mid-level journalists at English news organisations and digital platforms reported “more effect” on their mental health than their counterparts.

Rabindra Narayan, Managing Director, PTC Network says it is absolutely crazy these days in the newsroom with wars breaking out and earthquakes happening in both politics and otherwise. With the governments applying cosmic gravitational pulls and pressures, it really gets challenging to stay in your own rotational sphere.

“To be honest, newsrooms are living on a day-to-day basis and each has its own challenges. There are no breaks available for any kind of relaxing activity and hence mental health is also under challenge,” he added.

In Varun Kohli’s long career span as a CEO of leading broadcast media companies, he has witnessed many cases of journalists exhibiting emotional reactions, stress and at times, a complete burnout.

So how can newsrooms ensure that the game of breaking news doesn't lead to breaking sanity?

Suresh Kumar Pillai, Vice President- HR, Malayala Manorama, believes that an open and supportive workplace is essential for personal and professional growth. To facilitate this, we organise workshops led by experienced psychologists aimed at highlighting the significance of mental health and providing practical tools for self-care. 

Bharat Express CEO Varun Kohli shared, “Electronic media operates at an astonishing pace and it is imperative to support journalists’ overall well-being with regards to mental health and job satisfaction while also upholding the highest level of quality journalism.”

As a solution, Narayan suggests jokes shared over a cup of coffee are the only relief available and this indeed is the toughest phase for newsrooms.

“First and foremost, it is important to acknowledge and normalise individuals experiencing stress-inducing symptoms in an industry that operates 24x7 and 365 days," Kohli said.

Establishing a fair and transparent support system within organisations is crucial. This system should involve top management actively demonstrating emotional intelligence to address various issues and provide comprehensive support to individuals within the organisation.