This edited volume explores the phenomenon of secondary trauma among sub-Saharan African journalists tasked with covering violent events, conflicts, and crises, shedding light on the profound psychological and emotional impacts of witnessing violence indirectly through their professional reporting. By combining empirical studies, theoretical discussions, and case-specific analyses, the book offers a crucial examination of how journalists experience, process, and navigate the psychological burdens associated with reporting traumatic events. The book seeks to contribute to ongoing development of trauma-informed journalistic practices, and a cultural shift towards prioritizing mental health in media organizations.
Edited by:
Kealeboga Aiseng,
Chikezie E. Uzuegbunam
Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan
Country of Publication: Switzerland
Dimensions:
Height: 210mm,
Width: 148mm,
ISBN: 9783031946608
ISBN 10: 303194660X
Pages: 314
Publication Date: 17 October 2025
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
College/higher education
,
Undergraduate
,
Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Chapter 1: Introduction: Trauma in African Journalism.- Chapter 2: Silent Echoes and Deafening Silence: A Mixed Methods Evaluation of Trauma Journalism in Nigeria’s Ethno-Religious Crises.- Chapter 3: Capturing the Unseen: Emotional Challenges of Documenting African Journalistic Stories.- Chapter 4: “Bearing” Witness: Journalism, Genocide and the Weight of Trauma.- Chapter 5: Attacks, Harassment, Criminalization and Intimidation: An African Menu for Journalists.- Chapter 6: The problem with photography: Psychological effects on journalists.- Chapter 7: “Because I Saw It Myself”: FGM/C Reporting and Journalist Trauma in Uganda.- Chapter 8: Trauma Journalism in Tanzania and its impact on mental health among Tanzanian journalists.- Chapter 9: Sick of Journalism: Interrogating the Traumatic Experiences of Covering COVID-19.- Chapter 10: The Watchdog in Distress—Electoral Politics, Police Brutality and the Chilling Effect on Journalism Practice in Uganda.- Chapter 11: Psychological and Physical Safety of Foreign Journalists Covering Boko Haram Conflict in Borno State, Nigeria.- Chapter 12: Unearthing an unpleasant past: Exploring the psychological trauma of journalists reporting on the Gukurahundi genocide.- Chapter 13: Restrictive Media Laws, Trauma and Context-Specific Ethics in Non-Democratic Contexts.- Chapter 14: Journalism, Obligation and Moral Injury.- Chapter 15: The ‘Captured Journalists’: Implications for Objective Reporting and Safety.
Kealeboga Aiseng is a senior lecturer in the Department of Media Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. His books include Sociolinguistics of South African Television: Language Ideologies in Selected Case Studies, Political Economy of African Popular Culture: Political Interplay (co-edited), Public Health Communication Challenges to Minority and Indigenous Communities (co-edited), and Social Media and Gender in Africa: Discourses and Politics of Everyday Life (co-edited). Chikezie E. Uzuegbunam is Deputy Head of School for Teaching and Research, senior lecturer in Media Studies, and Master’s Programme Coordinator in the School of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University, South Africa. His latest book is Children and Young People’s Digital Lifeworlds: Domestication, Mediation, and Agency published in 2024 by Palgrave Macmillan under the book series of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR).
