Mindframe and the Dart Centre Asia Pacific offer support to media reporting on COVID-19

New self-care tips for media professionals offer guidance on how to focus on mental health and wellbeing while continuing to report on COVID-19.

Mindframe and the Dart Centre Asia Pacific have developed a new resource to support media professionals who have been covering COVID-19 and its impacts for almost 18 months.

Many Australians are experiencing some form of “pandemic fatigue,” with feelings of stress, anxiety, low energy, irritability and hopelessness.

Dr Jaelea Skehan OAM, Director of Everymind, said: “We are currently asking media to share information with our communities about the importance of mental health and wellbeing at this time, and it is critical that those messages get to the media professionals themselves”.

Managing Director of the Dart Centre Asia Pacific, Dr Cait McMahon OAM, said the centre for journalism and trauma was pleased to be partnering with Everymind and the Mindframe initiative in reaching out to media professionals.

“Journalists have been living through COVID-19 while reporting on it daily, often while isolated from colleagues,” said Dr McMahon.

“It is important that journalists and others working in the media focus on their mental health and wellbeing, especially as they continue to report daily on COVID-19 and its impacts for our communities.”

For media professionals, the self-care tips offer guidance on how to focus on mental health and wellbeing while continuing to report on COVID-19.

There is also a section on how media can approach covering an emotionally demanding story on COVID-19 and mental ill-health and suicide.

Self-care tips for media reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic are available for download from: bit.ly/mindframetips

This resource for media professionals supports the National Mental Health Commission’s community campaign on pandemic fatigue. You can find general community resources and information here.