Abstract
Journalism is sometimes described as a ‘macho practice’ (Feinsten, 2014) imbibed in the media agency of complex socio-political and economic issues. The practice demands sturdy and objective professionals unhinged by emotional burdens. In this competitive and impersonalized environment, journalists are subdued to a culture of ‘silence in newsrooms’ (Papadopoulou et al, 2022), in ounces of suppressed narratives. This situation may present a mental and emotional challenge to journalists who are expected to cover depressing stories as part of daily news production. The health state of journalists could adversely affect the outcome of media practice, which significantly contributes to societal well-being. In East Africa, journalists have been covering cases of terror, violent crime, and road carnages, without pausing to reflect and assess the toll the stories could be taking on their Psycho-social well-being. Through in-depth interviews, narrative analysis, and adopting theories of trauma journalism, this study unearths and gives voice to suppressed narratives of visual rhetors in East Africa (Journalists Covering Terror and Violent Crimes). These theoretical and methodological underpinnings allow the researcher to step into the private spaces of visual rhetors and adjust the lens towards them, and away from the story. The study chronicles the life cycle of visual rhetors from the point of taking the assignment, during the assignment, and experiences after the assignment. It is hoped that the outcomes of the study will suggest possible remedies that could help media professionals better negotiate the trauma that covering terror and violent crime stories entails.
Presenters
Lydia Ouma RadoliResearch Fellow, Leuphana Institute of Advanced Studies in Culture and Society (LIAS-CAS), Leuphana University, Germany
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
SUPPRESSED NARRATIVES, TRAUMA JOURNALISM, VISUAL RHETORS, NARRATIVE ANALYSIS
