Mental health in journalism: working in a shark tank

Journalists help their colleagues on Netzwerk Recherche’s helpline, but this does not improve mental health in the workplace.

AfD events like this can create great tension. Men in particular rarely talk about it Photo: Karsten Thielker

Hello, this is the helpline. Nice that you called. What would you like to talk about? This is how a conversation begins at the first anonymous and free telephone consultation for mentally stressed journalists. What’s special about it is that journalists are on the phone. “The peer support concept is a completely new approach in journalism,” says project manager Malte Werner.

The helpline is a project by the journalism association Netzwerk Recherche e. V. and the Dart Center for Trauma and Journalism at Cambridge University New York, an information hub on the topics of journalism and trauma. What began as a test phase in November 2023 will go into regular operation this spring, funded by the federal government.

Ute Korinth is one of 14 peers who take on a shift several times a month. “Exchanging ideas with people from the same professional field is very important,” says the journalist and resilience trainer. In preparation, the peers were trained in active listening, asking questions and psychological first aid.

Most callers start talking right away. “You can see that the issue has been on their minds for a long time,” says Korinth. Many are happy when someone listens carefully. Although there is more reporting on mental health these days, mental illnesses are still stigmatized. “Many fear that their problem is not important enough or that they are taking up other people’s time,” emphasizes the project manager. But you don’t have to come from a war zone traumatized to be able to call the helpline.

Lack of appreciation

A third of the calls so far have been from freelancers, most of the callers are female. Most cite work-related stress as the reason. “As a professional group that is in the public eye, we are under particular pressure,” says Korinth. According to a study by the Hans Bredow Institute from 2023, almost every second journalist in Germany often or very often suffers from stress at work, especially in private television and agency journalism.

Korinth explains this with the increasing workload, lack of appreciation from society and concern about artificial intelligence. “Unfortunately, this will not improve in the future. This is of course detrimental to health,” says Korinth.

The helpline’s project manager sees the cause of the stress in the major media crisis at the turn of the millennium. “The internet brought with it many new tasks,” he says. At first, journalists had to create “only” texts for the website, but a few years ago social media was added. At the same time, many jobs were cut.

More work, less staff

Katharina Hamm also notices this. The journalist wants to remain anonymous for fear of professional consequences, so taz has changed its name. “There is more and more work on the backs of fewer workers. There is no time for kindness,” she says. The 32-year-old works as a social media editor for a TV news program on public broadcasting. She describes her working environment as a “shark tank.”

Then there are her depressions. Although she didn’t get them from her job, they are made worse by it. “Some days the job really takes its toll on my self-confidence,” she says. She has partly come to terms with the fact that journalism is all about egos and hierarchies. “People talk a lot about other colleagues behind their backs, in a very condescending tone. I wouldn’t be surprised if they talk badly about me too,” says the journalist. She wouldn’t be the only one: According to the Hans Bredow study, almost 16 percent of those surveyed are affected by bullying in the workplace.

As a social media editor, Hamm sees herself as the “bottom of the food chain.” Some editors treat her like air. “Although I’ve been working there for two years, some colleagues haven’t even remembered my name,” she says. But that’s also a structural problem: the editorial team is large, there’s a lot of rotation. According to the Otto Brenner study from 2022, almost 60 percent of all respondents – especially young journalists – have repeatedly considered giving up their job. Why does she stay anyway? “The job is well paid and gives me stability,” she says.

Hate speech and attacks

According to the Hans Bredow study, other stress factors in journalism are sexual harassment and online hate. Since 2018, almost 60 percent of respondents have experienced degrading or hateful comments related to their work, and 26 percent have been threatened or intimidated.

You don’t have to look far for such examples on X. There, for example, reporter Sophia Maier writes that “journalists who are visible and have strong opinions, [immer wieder] publicly degraded”. After an interview with an AfD MP, she was the victim of several shitstorms, including discrediting her work in an AfD press release.

Journalists also worry about their physical well-being. “When I was still at university, you should never take security with you to a demonstration because it creates a barrier,” remembers Helpline project manager Werner. Nowadays, a security team is often standard. According to the Hans Bredow study, 41 percent also fear that an attack on media workers in Germany will not be punished.

According to the Dart Center, war correspondents and Mexican journalists who cover drug trafficking are particularly at high risk for mental illness – especially when external stressors coincide with existing burnout symptoms, anxiety or depression.

No substitute for therapy

Can telephone counseling help? “Our aim is not to replace therapy, but to offer a non-binding conversation between colleagues,” says the project manager. The helpline allows unpleasant feelings to be recognized and expressed. “The collegial support can reduce possible feelings of shame and guilt,” emphasizes Tabea Grzeszyk from the Dart Center.

There is a reason why not every journalist from a war zone automatically becomes mentally ill. We can work on our resilience. “Through their reporting, media professionals take on an active role that enables them to better process what they have experienced,” says Grzeszyk.

This gives the job meaning – an important factor for mental health. While you can only change external stress factors to a limited extent, you can influence your own protective factors. Social relationships in particular counteract loneliness and isolation and strengthen resilience.

For self-care, the Dart Center recommends exercise, walking, meditation, talking to friends and family, eating a balanced diet and getting enough sleep. Easier said than done. A healthy separation from work can also be misunderstood. “Who allows themselves a lunch break outside of the editorial office when everyone else eats their warmed-up food at work while the news ticker is running?” asks Grzeszyk from the Dart Center.

Reporting on depression

Martin Gommel is a mental health reporter at Krautreporter. “When you’re sick, it’s a different reality that can’t be made better with bath additives and a wellness weekend,” he says. He always knew that “something is wrong.” He was first diagnosed with depression in 2010 in a psychiatric hospital. At the time, Gommel was still working as a photographer and blogger.

Eight years and numerous hospital stays later, he published a text about his depression for the first time. “I thought it was important to show the public what it’s like when you get depressed and have to go to the clinic. Especially as a man, because men tend to withdraw when they’re depressed,” he says. Unfortunately, more reporting doesn’t lead to more therapy places.

With his texts, he wants to get people who are not seen talking. Especially in journalism, where there is a lot of pressure, many mental illnesses are not noticeable. “At home, they then collapse,” he says. Sometimes Martin Gommel imagines what it would be like if people no longer had to hide their illnesses at work. “It’s lonely when you’re ill and can’t even talk about it in the place where you spend a lot of time,” he says. And even if those affected talk openly about it, they are not protected from stupid comments like “but the sun is shining.”

Gommel himself has never called a crisis hotline like the helpline. “The barrier is extremely high,” he says. But it is a channel for people who have no one else around them. As much as he appreciates the service, he wishes the helpline weren’t necessary. “The fact that you need an external number shows that you can’t talk within the workplace. That’s a problem,” he says. “But the mere fact that my job exists is a good sign that something is changing, a form of recognition,” he says.

The Helpline can be reached on Monday and Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at (0 30) 75 43 76 33. More information on self-care: Dart Center www.jtsn.org/dart-center