A clinical psychologist from Busia County, David Bulimo, has underscored the need for psychological care for media practitioners.
Speaking during the training of media practitioners from the county on mental and psychological well-being, Bulimo said many journalists suffer from trauma they get while on duty.
“These people cover various traumatic stories and many times we only think about taking them to the hospital rather than appreciating the trauma the story leaves in their lives. That’s why the media people need psychological care to refresh as they continue with their work. This provides them with an opportunity to share and express themselves on what they are going through as a process of healing,” he said.
He further emphasized that failure in psychological care among the journalists results in many challenges that they experience.
“When covering a traumatic story, that trauma is transferred to them. They come out with acute stress, and if it is not helped, they will transition from acute stress disorder (ASD) to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many of them are secretly suffering from that condition because of trauma they face while on duty. Because nobody is ready to attend to them, they slowly live with fear and memory of what they have seen,” he said.
The official cited the nature of journalistic work as a predisposing factor that leads to mental disorders among journalists.
“They go to places that even locals fear due to the dangers present, and they automatically react; this leads to stress and other mental disorders.” The threats they encounter while covering some stories are real and this creates a permanent fear, anxiety and worry, which affects them psychologically.
Dhamira Moja Executive Director Sarah Martha said the Safe Voices 040 project, which is sponsored by the European Union, is determined to ensure media practitioners in the county have been trained and are well equipped with knowledge that will ensure their safety.
“For the last 5 months, we have been training and offering psychosocial support to journalists, and we are happy that they have now started to open up. They now understand that, despite facing challenges related to cyber security and digital threats, solutions exist for these issues,” she said.
Martha added that her organization is facilitating the process that gives journalists an opportunity to express themselves and learn from each other.
“We are doing a debrief for them to share experiences with each other and to learn how other journalists are coping with their mental issues. We know it is never easy for them mentally while they are on duty,” she said.
Busia County Government Communication Deputy Director Okong’o Oduya said journalists are always vulnerable on mental issues, as they are left on their own despite playing a vital role in the community.
“These are the first witnesses in the event of a tragedy, but they are not considered for mental assistance. Training them on their mental well-being is helping them have a good relationship with their family, work and colleagues,” he explained.
Patrick Ojanji, Manager Bulala FM, said journalists are not given an opportunity to be trained and counseled on their well-being.
“We have seen an increased trend of people taking their own lives; as a journalist who has been covering those stories, I am always left with depression and other mental problems. When people are selected to undertake training on psychological issues, journalists are selected to cover, not to be trained. There is a need for more training for everyone in this industry,’ he said.
The training was conducted under the Safe Voices 040 project through Dhamira Moja CBO in partnership with Trust Lab.
By Rodgers Omondi
