War where they live: Ukrainian journalists and their “Punkt Nezlamnosti” (Points of invincibility)

Abstract

Research demonstrates that journalists who cover conflict face physical and emotional risks. Ukrainian journalists experience a double trauma as they experience the war both as citizen and as journalist. Since the onset of the Russian-Ukrainian war journalists have faced a wide range of challenges including deaths of family members and colleagues, frequent bomb threats, attacks, and damage to their communities. Most studies of conflict journalists focus on western reporters and photographers who cover wars as they travel to other parts of the world. Fewer studies focus on local journalists covering conflict where they live. This research builds upon the concept of continuous traumatic stress (CTS), which proposes that existing diagnostic definitions and recommendations do not address effects of continuous trauma for journalists. Through narrative inquiry and interviews with 13 Ukrainian journalists this study investigates how organizational support affects local journalists and their experience with CTS. Findings suggest that journalists are affected by their emotional, physical, and work-related experience, but they see their work as a “mission” that contributes to the war effort through reliable and accurate reporting. The Ukrainian journalists demonstrate that individual, local, organizational, and national organizational support can boost resilience as they experience CTS.