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Hello #BSAemot2020. I’m Caitlin, a lecturer at @RoehamptonUni in @UoR_SSciences. I’ll be tweeting about journalistic emotional labour in the case of reporting on genocide, specifically Rwanda (1994) & Srebrenica (1995). Tweets are based on my 2019 paper https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0038038519882608#articleShareContainer
1/10 – Reporting on genocide tests journalists’ personal & professional resolve as they interrogate their emotions alongside their professionalism. This makes journalism a key area for the sociology of emotions & recent events have only highlighted the urgency of exploring this.
2/10 – To capture the nuances present in the emotional experiences of journalists reporting on such extreme situations, I conducted interviews with 22 journalists whose reports were published in UK newspapers during the genocide: 12 reported on Rwanda and 10 on Srebrenica.
3/10 Three key manifestations of emotional labour were found in interviews which I will now briefly summarise. For further detail and interview extracts pertaining to each manifestation, please see my paper https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0038038519882608?journalCode=soca
4/10 - 1) Journalists’ focus on professionalism & the process of reporting was key. Emotions were silenced that would’ve undermined reporting; professional identity was prioritised. This helped maintain emotional stability somewhat, although they weren’t offered counselling.
5/10 - 2) Journalists relied on instinct (‘journalistic nerve’) when reporting Rwanda & Srebrenica. They avoided ‘balancing’ sides. Emotion was part of reporting, but it was used professionally & focused through victims not themselves. This shows complex emotional manoeuvring.
6/10 - 3) Emotion management was not all-encompassing; journalists experienced negative long-term emotional effects. They recognised it was difficult to manage emotions whilst reporting. Several spoke of PTSD specifically, whilst others spoke of ‘trauma’ or stress.
7/10 – This framework shows how journalistic emotional labour is dynamic & multidimensional. Contradictions exist between organisational expectations & journalists’ experiences on-the-ground. Emotion here is complex & still steeped in professional traditions & expectations.
8/10 – Journalists acknowledged negative emotional effects occur & cross into their personal lives, but this is normalised: ‘part of the job.’ Therapeutic terminology, like PTSD, has become increasingly utilised, but within journalism there is still hesitance to engage with it.
9/10 – Emotionality present w/in reporting on Rwanda & Srebrenica encourages us to reconceptualise ‘professionalism’ in light of journalism’s affective future. This study also historically reflects on the lives of journalists - a narrative for those who were emotionally silenced.
10/10 I hope these tweets have created pause for consideration for those who research/study emotional labour, journalism, and genocide studies. Thanks for following these tweets! If there are any questions, please comment below any of the tweets. Thank you #BSAemot2020 !
