Mental Health in the Headlines

Dear Colleagues,

The journal Journalism and Media requests submissions to a Special Issue on the topic of mental health in media professions. Against the backdrop of decreasing trust in news, increasing political polarization, and public scepticism about the role of journalism in democracy, the reputation of our profession is in peril. Violence against journalism is at an all-time high, with 120+ journalists murdered globally in 2024—the highest number ever reported by the Committee to Protect Journalists (2024). At the same time, journalists uphold the enduring responsibility of the Fourth Estate, seeking to check and balance government during a time of intense international turmoil. The risks of reporting are high.

And yet we have an ethical responsibility to the public to seek truth and report it and to cover current events with sensitivity and transparency. Whether through coverage of natural disasters, human-made catastrophe, or political upheaval, many reporters face challenges to their mental health as a necessary outcome of the job. Studies show that over 30% of journalists report depression (Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, 2019), 25% report anxiety (Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, 2021), and 15% report substance abuse issues (Pew Research Center, 2020). The systemic health outcomes may be exacerbated by financial precarity in the field. As the economic foundations of advertising-funded news models fail, reporters report low salaries and record layoffs, compromising many potential reporters’ ability to pursue this work.

This Special Issue will engage with four areas of mental health in journalism: (1) the systemic factors that influence journalists’ mental health, (2) journalists’ experiences covering difficult topics and adverse mental health outcomes in the profession, (3) representations of mental health in news stories or media content, and (4) the impacts of mental health storytelling on audiences or communities.

Methodological Approaches

We are looking for analyses that have practical applications within and outside academia. This Special Issue welcomes research in the humanistic and social science traditions, including qualitative and quantitative work. Newsroom ethnographies, survey research, framing studies, content analyses, auto-ethnography, and critical–theoretical essays are encouraged. We are especially interested in highlighting work related to mental health and its intersections with race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and social class.

Topics of Interest

We invite contributions exploring various aspects of trauma and resilience including, but not limited to, the following:

• The mental health experiences of women, LGBTQ reporters, and reporters of color.
• The impact of trolling, bullying, and/or harassment on the mental health of journalists who cover politics and/or diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• The current state of mental health awareness, training, and literacy inside newsrooms, including case studies of media organizations which are promoting workplace wellbeing.
• Discourse analyses of legacy and community news stories related to mental health and the historical changes in media framing of mental health issues.
• The role of newsroom culture on mental health, including the pressures of deadlines, competition, and the challenge of maintaining work–life balance.
• Case studies of journalists or journalism influencers who use their platform to raise awareness of mental health issues or share their personal experiences with mental health challenges.
• Traumatic exposure for journalists who cover natural disasters and mass shootings, as well as mental health outcomes in impacted communities.
• The relationship between the fast-paced and demanding nature of journalism and negative health outcomes such as burnout and chronic stress.
• The ethics of reporting on suicide, PTSD, and other sensitive mental health topics.
• The mental health challenges faced by freelance journalists, including lack of job security, health insurance, and access to mental health resources.

Submission Guidelines

• Abstract submission deadline (500 words max and brief author bio—max 100 words) should be sent no later than 15 July 2025 to Chelsea.J.Reynolds@asu.edu and Jesus.Ayala@csulb.edu.

Upon selection, scholars will be invited to submit full papers. Full papers should not exceed 8,000 words, including references. All submissions will undergo rigorous full blind peer review based on originality, theoretical contribution, methodological rigor, and practical significance in accordance with the peer-review procedure of Journalism and Media (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/journalmedia/instructions). Manuscripts will be submitted through the journal’s website. Authors must indicate that they wish to have their manuscript considered for this Special Issue.

References:

Committee to Protect Journalists (2024). 2024 is the Deadliest Year for Journalists in CPJ History; almost 70% killed by Israel. [cpj.org]

Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma (2019). The Emotional Toll of Journalism: A Study of Journalists' Mental Health. Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma. [dartcenter.org]

Pew Research Center (2020). The State of the News Media 2020. Pew Research Center. [pewresearch.org]

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (2021). Journalism, Media, and Technology Trends and Predictions 2021. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. [reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk]

We look forward to receiving your contributions to this important and timely Special Issue on Mental Health in the Headlines.

Dr. Chelsea Reynolds
Guest Editor

Prof. Jesús Ayala Rico
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journalism and Media is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• burnout
• chronic stress
• journalism
• mental health
• newsroom cultures
• workplace wellbeing
• trauma