Journalism and managing journalists are not the same thing, but we can learn from some of the skills that make us good at our journalism to make us better at other aspects of our journalism.
We need to find a way to sit without judgement, to listen actively and to reassure the person that they have our full attention.
Managers should also be mindful of the power dynamic and do all they can to make reasonable adjustments for this. And because managers are rarely mental health experts, they should be aware of their own boundaries and the need for self-care, and know how to signpost colleagues to additional support where necessary.
Much of this is rooted in the notion that we are all human beings. I often hear people say they are worried about making things worse: but the fact is that checking in with others rarely does.
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I have facilitated conversations with hundreds of journalists from around the world. As an external consultant, I am often invited by managers to speak with their staff. The discussions take place under Chatham House rules, meaning that what is said cannot be shared in a way that will identify the individual. Afterwards, I draw together the themes of the discussion and share them with their managers without attributing the information to specific people.
In all the conversations, two things come up repeatedly, and it’s clear that having more empathetic managers would help in tackling these points.
The first is that people fear that any admission of distress will be regarded as weakness and have repercussions on their careers and their reputations.
The second is that they wish their managers would treat them more like human beings and less like cogs in a machine. When asked specifically how they might do this, the overriding response is that people want to feel seen, heard and humanised.
They’re not asking for a lot but would just like to be thanked or for their managers to take a few seconds to express their appreciation for their work, or some recognition that a story was tough, or ask them how they are. None of this takes excessive time, but it’s likely to be remembered.
Most of us can recall when a manager took the time; we also remember the managers who were the antithesis of this, who treated us as robots because they had been conditioned to suppress their emotions and only release them as anger, not empathy.
Matthew Green, a journalist who has worked for the Financial Times and Reuters and is a co-host of the Collective Trauma Summit, gave his view:
“Certain people have a particular kind of trauma signature, which makes them ruthless, ambitious, unfeeling, unempathetic and – guess what? – these are the people who tend to rise to the top of these organisations.
“I was fortunate and received very good support when I struggled with depression while working as a correspondent. However, I have also seen cases where people have been very badly let down.
“I think part of the problem is that, often, the people who run these organisations do not want to look at their own trauma history: they don’t have the resources to go there. They may acknowledge pragmatically that they need to be seen to be doing something and, politically, it serves them to be paying their dues to mental health. But many of those best placed to make a difference have yet to cultivate the kind of self-awareness needed to actually engage with the subject in a genuine way.
“So that’s the conflict we have: the leadership will allow a conversation about mental health to go to a certain point, but not beyond that point because then it becomes uncomfortable for them. It’s not just in the media but across society. Those who wield the most power tend to be the most in need of healing.”
Perhaps these people are themselves traumatised and were never shown the empathy that might have helped them acknowledge the stressors of their work.
Conditioned to put up and shut up, they become leaders of organisations, products of a vicious cycle where, without the resources to manage their own mental health, and without the training to support others, they reinforce unhealthy coping mechanisms and cultures that lack compassion.
Being a manager can be a lonely business, and it’s important that leaders can access ways to manage their mental health and connect with people they trust, otherwise, they run the risk of becoming the bruised or injured piece of fruit in the bowl, growing the mould that negatively affects those around them.
Empathetic managers tend to recognise that the people who work with them are humans and not cogs in a machine, something that is vital in building a more open, healthier culture where people perform better because they feel seen and heard.
An extract from Mental Health and Wellbeing for Journalists: A Practical Guide, by Hannah Storm (Routledge, 2024), available on Routledge.com
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