Dear union siblings,
As we all know, as media workers we are often witnesses, in person or via audio and video, to disturbing events, incidents, accidents, actions, and messaging. Some of us are in the trenches figuratively, others literally. All this makes us vulnerable to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Having worked as a reporter and an Emergency Medical Technician, I know both jobs can be equally challenging psychologically.
Too often, as media workers, we minimize the impact of the psychological hazards we encounter as we gather information to prepare the stories that inform Canadians. We suffer in silence with the belief that it’s “just part of the job.”
It might be part of the job, but it’s not “just” part of the job. We can take measures to protect ourselves and to help ourselves heal when needed.
Your union wants to help create the tools to do this, and the first step into this journey is to gather information about psychological health and safety in Canada’s news industry.
We invite you to participate in one of the one-hour, on-line focus groups organized by the Canadian Association of Journalists and hosted by journalist and industry well-being champion, Dave Seglins.
The goal is to seek input from +200 Canadian journalists and news professionals from a wide variety of experiences, resulting in a “risk matrix” and public report that helps clearly identify our industry’s top challenges as well as your ideas for solutions.
Participant identities will be kept confidential as participants must agree to respect Chatham House Rules.
When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed. The purpose of the rule is to encourage open discussion since anything said is “off the record.”
Please pick a time that works and register via the link.
Tuesday, October 22 @ 7 pm EDT
OR
Thursday, October 24 @ 12 noon EDT
In solidarity, Annick R. Forest (she/her), President, Canadian Media Guild