RPT Director, Clothilde Redfern led a panel discussion at The International Journalism Festival #ijf22 which took place 6 – 10th April 2022 in Perugia, Italy.

Redfern alongside Professor Anthony Feinstein are spearheading a discussion on the subject of moral injury and the psychological toll for journalists.

During the panel discussion Anthony Feinstein presented his research and explained why he considers moral injury to be the next big challenge for investigative journalism.

Clothilde Redfern commented,

“Guilt, shame, anger, vicarious trauma, moral dilemmas… these are some of the many challenges that journalists are increasingly grappling with.”

“In a recent poll which we led, just over 50% of journalists were not even aware of the concept of moral injury in the context of journalism, let alone how to recognise its effect and impact on their well-being and work. We are delighted that Anthony Feinstein, a leading professor in this field is helping us to shed light on this much misunderstood area of psychological wellbeing, one which is immediately relevant to journalism, our work supporting freelance journalists and our Resilience Programme.”

Redfern and Feinstein were joined on the panel by two award-winning journalists, international photojournalist Amira Al-Sharif and investigative journalist, Sanne Terlingen.

Together the panel discussed the concept of moral injury, shared their own experiences of it and considered what impact it can have on journalists and newsrooms.

You can watch the recording of the panel discussion here