Your staff wants to do good work. Some stress can help them, but too much stress can drain them of skill and judgment. Give yourself and your newsroom tools to cope.
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Help your reporters, editors, and producers better handle stress
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Improve focus
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Become more resilient
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Groups of any size at a convenient time
The need to produce often leaves us so stressed and depleted at the end of the day that we just rest enough to get back on the hamster wheel the next day. We can learn to better handle the stress and, in the process, be more effective journalists.
About Your Instructor
I began my journalism career as a commercial TV reporter, moving to public TV, and then to NPR where I worked as a correspondent, editor, and manager. Early on, when I found it difficult to handle the stress, I used anti-anxiety meds, alcohol, and recreational drugs. Those were not long-term solutions.
Sáša Woodruff, News Director, Boise State Public Radio
"I have meditated off and on throughout my life with classes and apps, but until I did a session with Ted, I had never done a mindfulness training specifically for journalists. It was great to focus on the specific stresses we deal with and get tools to figure out a better way to deal with situations."
Robin Estrin, Reporter/Producer, KCRW
"Ted brings a journalist's curiosity and a practitioner's expertise to his mindfulness training. His techniques are simple and effective, and I left the session feeling more empowered to manage the stress that's so unique to our work."
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is awareness of our internal state and our surroundings, aka
“present-time nonjudgmental awareness.” For journalists, mindfulness also needs to work within the ethical framework of our profession.
Mindfulness practice helps with
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deadline pressure
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pressure to be100% factually correct
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covering traumatic events and unpleasant sources
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difficult newsroom relationships
Mindfulness can also help
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Sharpen reporting and editing skills
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Focus energy when working on repetitive or routine stories.