The unseen strains: mental health battles of Indian journalists amid Covid-19-induced economic uncertainty

ABSTRACT

Amidst dealing with the health hazards of working during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, many Indian newspaper journalists lost jobs, faced abrupt salary cuts or were forced to go on unpaid leaves leading to mental health challenges that turned into traumatic experiences for some. Qualitative research method was employed to collect data, through semi-structured interviews where consenting participants recollected, narrated and described their traumatic experiences. The authors identified a cohort (n = 37) of Indian newspaper journalists using the purposive sampling method. The study uncovers the details of the emotional distress and traumatic experiences and noted the coping strategies that demonstrated the resilience of many Indian newspaper journalists in the face of a crisis. This study revealed how sudden pandemic-related layoffs, lack of communication and the ineffectiveness or absence of a collective representation body, like journalist unions, aggravated the mental health challenges for many newspaper journalists in India. Findings highlight how mental health challenges at workplaces can be mitigated with support and interventions by qualified mental health professionals, and other mental health support systems.

KEYWORDS:

• Newspapers
• Indian journalists
• mental health
• Covid-19
• trauma studies

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Soumyadipta Banerjee

Soumyadipta Banerjee is pursuing his PhD from Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Manipal University Jaipur. His research work focuses on news bias and cultural bias. He has worked for several reputed Indian newspapers and news websites. Email: [email protected].

Avneesh Kumar

Avneesh Kumar is working as a senior assistant professor at the Department of Journalism of Mass Communication, Manipal University Jaipur. His research interests include media and cultural practices, framing and mediated political communication. Email: [email protected].