How To Deal With Trauma and Mental Health Pressures from Cyberattacks
Journalists face serious threats that include online harassment, trolling, doxxing, hacking, and spyware. Besides anonymous online abuse, they experience surveillance, intimidation, and persecution from powerful entities like corporations, legal authorities, and the state. All these factors lead to effects on their mental health and trauma. Physical violence and legal prosecution may be very notable threats but the mental health impact of online abuse is frequently overlooked. In order to protect themselves and their sources from potential dangers, journalists must take care to protect their data while maintaining their public persona on social media.
The Emotional Price Journalists Pay for a Story
The weight of a story on a journalist, especially under the constant threat of cyberattacks and online harassment, often remains unnoticed until the emotional toll manifests through visible symptoms. Irritability, anger, sudden outbursts, and heightened anxiety are common reactions that can impair a journalist's ability to think clearly and make rational decisions. These emotional strains can escalate, leading to chronic stress and panic attacks, which in turn disrupt sleep patterns, suppress appetite, and result in social withdrawal. The journalist may become increasingly isolated, both personally and professionally, as they struggle to cope with the mounting pressure.
Additionally, the emotional toll of such persistent threats can cause journalists to become overprotective of their loved ones, fearing that their professional risks might spill over into their personal lives. This heightened state of vigilance can create a barrier between them and their families, as the journalist's preoccupation with potential dangers leads to a sense of detachment. The cumulative effect of these stressors can severely impact their overall well-being, emphasizing the necessity for mental health support and resilience-building strategies within the journalism community.
The Forms of Online Harassment to Look Out for and How to Cope with Them
Online harassment manifests in several ways, including impersonation as well as doxing, where personal information like an address or phone number is posted online. It also involves exclusion, which is the deliberate act of leaving someone out of an online group, and threats, where explicit or implicit menaces are directed at an individual. Technical attacks, such as hacking an email account or disrupting access to a website, further exemplify online harassment.
Different forms of trolling also contribute to online abuse. Concern trolling involves pretending to share others' opinions to incite conflict, while flaming refers to verbal attacks. Raiding is a coordinated effort by multiple perpetrators to harass an individual. In-person trolling extends harassment offline, including actions like calling someone’s phone or sending a SWAT team to their house. Gender trolling specifically targets women, using gendered and sexualized language and threats to silence them.
To protect themselves from online harassment, journalists ought to save all threatening or offensive material and block anyone sending hate messages through private channels like Facebook. If distressing messages become overwhelming they should ask a colleague to manage their social media accounts and clean out their email. Journalists also need to inform their employer about the harassment as employers need to be aware of any hate speech targeting their staff. Data security should not be neglected either and journalists should be sure to protect their social media accounts. Using strong unique passwords as well as considering a password manager is essential. Journalists should keep personal phone numbers and addresses confidential and may need to apply for non-disclosure of personal information.
Above all, journalists need to be cautious of harassers recording and editing phone calls. Prioritizing mental wellbeing by distancing themselves from harassment is imperative. It is ultimately helpful for a journalist to recognize that anyone can be targeted—even them. By following these guidelines and making mental health a prime concern, journalists can rise above any cyberattacks they may face.
