Too close? "That ship had sailed": Journalists who stayed in Uvalde, Texas
REFLECTIONS ON INTERVIEWS WITH JOURNALISTS AND SHOOTING VICTIMS
A vigil for the victims of the 2022 school mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Photo: Lisa Krantz
by Lisa Krantz, Assistant Professor at the University of Montana School of Journalism
After the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, many journalists stayed and built trust and relationships with victims’ families, survivors, and community members.
Documenting devastating moments with people most impacted by the shooting resulted in deep emotional involvement by journalists, leading some to ask themselves if they were too close. A television producer who spent the year in Uvalde acknowledged how emotionally close he became with families. But he also continually reminded the people he was reporting on about his role as a journalist, and they understood. He never felt he crossed ethical lines but did develop close friendships beyond journalistic relationships.
After learning about the journalistic norm of objectivity in college, one photojournalist struggled to reconcile with the reality of immersing with people who had been through intense trauma. In the early months after the shooting. In the early months after the shooting, the photojournalist questioned whether they were becoming too emotionally involved. But when they did let down their guard and authentically and emotionally connected with the people in Uvalde, that connection was appreciated by victims’ families, survivors, and community members. The photojournalist’s openness and genuine care was noted by families in Uvalde who became much more open to her and her camera. They understood she wasn’t just with them for a story and that she was deeply committed.
When journalists spend hours, days, weeks, and months with people who have experienced severe trauma like a mass shooting, the lines blur. There is more gray than black and white. Emotions are raw and it is natural for journalists to feel emotions about nineteen children and two of their teachers being killed in their elementary school. If they don’t have an emotional response to it, that may be more of a concern. Suppressing emotions can lead to suppressed reporting that lacks emotional resonance, empathy and compassion. When the journalist is deeply and emotionally connected it can help audiences to better connect with the devastation and pain of mass shootings and other tragedies.
That emotional involvement does take a toll on journalists. Since it is not their story and they didn’t experience the tragedy directly, journalists often struggle to understand why they feel sad, depressed and anxious during and after reporting on traumatic events. Social support was a way the journalists who stayed in Uvalde coped. Several began therapy. But none regretted how emotionally involved they were in the story. Those feelings of commitment to the people most impacted by the shooting in Uvalde, not letting the victims’ being forgotten, and holding law enforcement accountable was a driving force among all journalists who stayed.
Lessons from deep immersion
Many journalists have emotional reactions to what they report on. It may be a daily breaking news story like a house fire, or it may be a long-term project on the survivors of a mass shooting.
While journalism students are often taught to suppress emotions in the name of objectivity, many journalists will be emotionally impacted at some point in their careers.
According to the victims’ families, survivors and community members in Uvalde, when journalists show emotions, that shows they are human and therefore may be trusted more.
No person interviewed for this research said they would think less of a journalist if they showed emotions about an emotional story. The opposite is true. The people sharing their stories feel journalists actually care, which unfortunately is not always how journalists are perceived.
Showing emotions, employing empathy and compassion, and using an ethic of care when reporting can coexist with the notion of objectivity. They can complement each other, not oppose. Journalists feel better when they can be honest about their emotions and not feel they are doing something wrong or unethical if they are open about it. Often it is the more experienced journalists who have come to understand that their emotional involvement does not detract from their journalism. Rather, it enhances their work and their ability to tell someone’s story in a way that resonates more deeply.
Normalizing conversations in newsrooms about emotions can fosters a feeling of support for journalists, giving them a safer space to express how they feel about the traumatic stories they witness and document. Much research concerning covering stories involving trauma shows social and organizational support is a critical element in how journalists cope with the tragedies they see.
