Journalists and mental health: An American Press Institute resource guide

Journalists today face stress from several directions all at the same time — they’re covering an increasingly violent world, they are the target of threats and harassment both online and in person, and they deal with mistrust from the public — stoked by politicians who call their work “fake news.” The second Trump presidency has brought new stresses, as he has sought to delegitimize journalists, defund public media and disparage individual reporters just doing their jobs. The difficulty is compounded for marginalized groups.

Add in that the industry continues to be under extreme financial pressure, and that newsroom leaders often aren’t trained to manage through all these challenges, and it is easy to see why some journalists would consider a new line of work altogether.

The good news is that there is a growing recognition of the problem, and a proliferation of resources to help. This guide compiled by the American Press Institute team is an effort to point to and organize these resources in ways that can be helpful to journalists looking to put words to what they’re feeling and manage those stresses.

This guide is organized in a way that allows journalists exploring specific challenges to find them easily. But it’s important to know that none of these challenges exists in a vacuum. One can be mistaken for another (e.g., PTSD or moral injury), one can lead to or contribute to another (e.g., bad management can play a role in anxiety about the future of the business) or they can exist in combination with one another (e.g., marginalization contributes to burnout).

The guide will be updated periodically as more resources become available or come to our attention. Please let the API team know if you are aware of resources that you’d like us to consider for inclusion in the guide.