Ignoring Afghan journalists’ trauma is not an option

Résumé fourni par la source

The return of the Taliban in Afghanistan in August 2021 has had far-reaching implications not only for press freedom in the country but also for the mental well-being of journalists in Afghanistan. Even before the Taliban’s takeover, Afghanistan was consistently ranked among the most dangerous countries in the world for media workers (yet, little attention was paid to the mental health of journalists. The situation got worse after the Taliban returned, as hundreds of media outlets shut down and thousands of journalists lost their jobs, with many fleeing the country amid rising violence against them. Emerging evidence indicates increased mental health issues among Afghan media professionals, both those who remained in the country and those now living in exile. Although there is awareness of issues like PTSD, depression, and anxiety among reporters, research in this area is both limited and fragmented, leaving critical gaps in our understanding of the long-term psychological effects on journalists working in conflict zones (Feinstein and Osmann, 2024, ‘Predictors of psychological distress in frontline journalists: Common denominators across three decades of conflicts’; MacDonald et al., 2021, ‘Journalists and depressive symptoms: A systematic literature review’). This is a pressing public health concern that demands urgent scholarly attention to safeguard journalists’ mental well-being. We urge fellow researchers and editors to consider this issue not as a peripheral problem, but as a core challenge at the intersection of media, politics, and mental health. The psychological toll of reporting in high-stress environments demands a shift in how we prepare and support journalists. Integrating trauma-informed approaches into journalism training and curricula, and providing meaningful support for journalists in conflict zones, must be recognized as a core academic and societal responsibility.

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