PPI, NUJP hold trauma seminar for Mindanao journalists

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

THE Philippine Press Institute (PPI) in collaboration with the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) recently held a two-day seminar on Journalism and Trauma to Mindanao journalists at the Ecoland Suites in Davao City.

Ariel Sebellino, PPI Regional Trustee, said the seminar aims to look at the general welfare of the journalists especially in dealing with trauma.

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Sebellino said the seminar is a new module of the NUJP that hopes to provide trauma resilience to journalists who are the front-liners in providing information to the public.

Pia Garduce, a psychologist handling trauma of journalists, defined trauma as experiences or situations that are emotionally painful and distressing that may overwhelm the people’s ability to cope, leaving them powerless.

Garduce also said trauma has sometimes been defined in reference to circumstances that are outside the realm of normal human experiences.

She stressed that most of the time, journalists are directly hit by trauma during coverage especially when they cover incidence of killings, flood, war and others.

“The journalists are the ones being neglected and that the trauma component has not been addressed properly,” Garduce said.

She advised that journalists must build up peer support networks for them to cope with the trauma.

Garduce claimed that if a person has gone through a traumatic experience or suffered a repeated trauma, chances are they may be struggling with upsetting emotions, frightening memories or a sense of constant danger that they just can’t kick.

“Or the trauma may have left them feeling numb, disconnected and unable to trust other people,” she said.

During the two-day seminar, PPI member-participants were able to build up their learning in the practical use of handling trauma.

They were also briefed and taught how to be a better journalist by learning to ask better questions while covering trauma and how to equip themselves whenever trauma will arise.

On January 14 to 15, the PPI also held the same seminar to journalists in Luzon, while those from the Visayas will attend the same activity on February 11 to 12.