Covering crisis situations is part of a journalist’s job. Photojournalists are usually the first on a scene when a tragedy is unfolding. Not only are photojournalists documenting history, but they are also exposing themselves to traumatic and stressful events.

The stigma of psychological stress is strongly felt by journalists as a characteristic of the journalism culture (e.g., Rees, 2007a; Ricchiardi, 1998). Similar beliefs are present in other populations of workers dealing with trauma, conflict, and disaster (e.g., military, police, school shootings, terrorist attacks, car accidents, executions, earthquake aftermath). The term describes a broad range of problems including diagnosed psychiatric conditions, such as anxiety and panic disorders, major depression, acute and posttraumatic stress, as well as less severe problems that interfere with daily functioning, such as lack of concentration, anger, and emotional exhaustion. In hopes of addressing a similar stigma for journalists, we propose the adoption of the term assignment stress injury (ASI).

This term describes a type of injury that develops within the journalism context both on trauma assignments in the field and in the newsroom (e.g., PTSD, STS, anxiety, depression, addictions, and burnout). Most importantly, journalists may develop traumatic stress symptoms from witnessing the suffering of others (STS) or experiencing firsthand a traumatic event (PTSD). These symptoms include: (1) re-experiencing phenomena (e.g., intrusive imagery, flashback memories, nightmares), (2) avoidance responses (e.g., numbing out, avoiding reminders of the event, diminished interests), and (3) increased arousal (e.g., difficulty sleeping, heightened startle response, difficulty focusing, irritability) (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). These reactions are a normal response and can also be cumulative, building in intensity over time. It is this cumulative exposure that puts journalists at risk, but the context of the newsroom exacerbates the symptoms. As part of a larger research project, it is presented in this paper recommendations provided by participants to assist journalists with assignment stress injuries (Keats and Buchanan, 2009).