Photography and Trauma: Writing and Reflection from the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma

Kevin Kawamoto: "Traumatic Stress & the News Audience"
"...news reports about a traumatic event can have an impact on the psychological life of an individual not only immediately after the event but for years down the road. Those who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), for example, are particularly susceptible to having their symptoms triggered by reminders of their traumatic event, especially during anniversaries of the event or when perpetrators come up for trial. [...] images can affect cognition and emotions in powerful ways, and this includes images of events not directly experienced but transmitted via the news media. Photojournalists often become the eyes for people who cannot themselves be first-hand witnesses to traumatic events. They help show us the who, what, when, where and why. In providing this important public service, they may inadvertently or carelessly traumatize their subjects, especially in the frenzied pace of a disastrous situation. [...] News organizations can also be humane and respectful when making important decisions about what images they publish, how often, and why."
[Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma]