Veterans and Suicide

This article by the Chicago Tribune tells the story of the harsh realities of war and how those who put their lives on the line are still feeling the impact of war even when they return home.

The article does a wonderful job of acknowledging the mental illness issue associated with suicide deaths. It doesn’t simply focus on the devastation of suicide, but rather sheds light on the emotional and mental wounds that leave soldiers hurting after the fact.

The language and word-smithing in the article overall were impressive. Throughout the whole article, the author used “killed themself” most often, and only slipped up one time by using the terminology “committed suicide.”

While I very much enjoyed the colorful and emotionally-strung narrative of this piece, I couldn’t help but call into question some of the information they included and they way they reported it. There is certainly a hint of bias that can be detected in the beginning of the piece when the author called into question the rationality behind sending young warriors into combat. I understand the purpose in doing so – to illustrate the pain that comes from losing someone to war – but it rubbed me the wrong way. But I digress.

The author also included details as to how a solider who had returned home from war killed himself. “He killed himself with a single gunshot.” A short and simple, yet powerful statement. It’s not graphic or aggressive, but it certainly implies that the one shot struck him somewhere on his body that was immediately fatal and gory.

What really caught my attention, though, was the notion that, “some wounds will not heal. The pain is too irreversible.” I immediately thought of how dangerously suggestive this one sentence is. Of course, the article was about shedding light on the devastation of war and combat on the mental and emotional stability of those directly involved in it. However, I think this piece could have achieved the same goal of causing emotion and educating the masses in the absence of this sentence. What about the other soldiers out there that read this piece? The ones that are struggling to fight the demons of war from eating them alive? To me, this sentence screams, “You won’t get through this. You can’t get through this” to those struggling with mental illness and thoughts of suicide, regardless of their specific circumstances and situations. Overall it was a wonderful piece, but I can’t ignore the ignorance behind including this statement.

A talk with David Handschuh

This week, we had the pleasure of having a Skype session with David Handschuh, the New York Daily News photojournalist who was injured when the towers fell on 9/11. He shared with us how he remembers that day, the emotional, mental and physical impact, and how he was able to recover from it all.

It was incredible to have the opportunity to talk with him and to hear his personal recollection of the day. I very much admired his ambition when going in to cover the story. He was on his way to talk at a local college, but as soon as he got word of the first tower being hit, his plans for the day changed in a way he never would have expected.

I was amazed at how well he remembered the events of that day. Often times, details of the traumatic event can be clouded because of the emotional, mental, physical, spiritual, etc. impact of it all. But he shared his story with strength and certainty, almost like it happened yesterday.

It was incredibly fascinating to hear his story of recovery after the tragedy. It's one thing to read about the experience of a trauma survivor, or to read about what to expect from those recovering from trauma, but being able to hear his account with a haunted tone was absolutely incredible. 

Handschuh also shared his story of being laid off by the news organization in which he worked for and published his work on the tragedy of 9/11. Everyone seemed to be shocked by the decision, and even more shocked that the paper continued on to downsize the paper and let go of even more employees. Handschuh had worked for the paper for 27 years.

What I admired most about Handschuh, aside from his ambitious work ethic, was his resilience. He fought to overcome the trauma that he was left dealing with in the aftermath of the event, and did so heroically. He also showed strength when being cut from his position at the paper, and said he would overcome this obstacle just as he did the trauma of being stuck beneath the rubble of the Twin Towers. I am so very grateful to have had the opportunity to listen to his story and have the utmost respect for him and his contribution to journalism.

Adventure Nine: Inclusion

I tend to avoid engaging in conversations about inclusiveness. It's not because I don't care. It's not because I'm afraid. It’s not because I’m unaware or uneducated.

It’s difficult to describe my discomfort (for lack of a better word) about the concept of inclusion. My understanding of inclusion, as well as it’s opposite, arose at a young age, and the conversation about it has only become increasingly more prevalent ever since.

I have sought out a myriad of resources to become as educated about the topic as I possibly can- acting as a social sponge in conversations with diverse groups of people, reading various political, academic, psychological works, watching a handful of documentaries and films, analyzing various aspects of news coverage – just trying to learn, to understand, to consume and digest.

So let me make myself clear: I do care. I’m not afraid. I am aware and I am educated.

Yet despite my many efforts (which admittedly take place behind closed doors) I am overwhelmed with messages that insist the opposite of my claims because of the identities that make up who I am.

I’m a woman, so I can’t understand the struggle of ____.

I’m white, so I can’t understand the struggle of ____.

I’m heterosexual, so I can’t understand the struggle of ____.

I’m a college student, so I can’t understand the struggle of ____.

I need not go on.

There is a problem with inclusion MU. This is not new news, and I’m not saying this as if people don’t already know. I’m saying this because that is how conversation – and change – begins.

There are those who hold the perspective that people who need to change their behavior aren’t interested in talking about inclusion, and race relations specifically.  These growing frustrations have reached a breaking point, and while the path that led to this breaking point differs across individuals, it has inarguably been reached.

I want to have more faith that those who don’t openly discuss issues of inclusion aren’t neglecting to do so because they aren’t interested. I do have more faith in that. Perhaps I’m too much on optimist.

We are unaware of the skeletons and baggage of people unless we communicate. We don’t receive clarification about what may be inappropriate to people who embody identities different from our own unless we ask. We remain in the dark about what we can do to minimize issues of inclusion because of the fear of what tension could arise. 

As a society:

We need to be educated.

We need to be aware.

We need to recognize.

We need to be tolerant.

We need to be consistent.

Adventure Eight: On jealousy

Jealousy is a complex emotion.

No one ever seems to want to admit their jealousy, but they usually don't need to; their actions and body language alone speak louder than their words could.

Jealous comes in all different forms and for all different reasons. You might be jealous that someone else got the job you wanted. Or jealous that they got a better grade even though you worked harder. Or jealous about someone's style. Regardless, jealousy is not pretty, and it's often incredibly consuming and distracting.

But here's the thing about jealousy. Feeling jealous is a blatant, but unintentional (I hope), disregard of all the things you have going for you. A disregard for all the things you have, the things you've done, the things other people have done for you, etc. Obviously, no one is thinking this when they're feeling green with jealousy. They're focusing on what they don't have, what someone else has. It's a lack of reflection and appreciation for what you have.

Jealousy is also exhausting. Constantly worrying about what someone else has or is doing is consuming. You spend more time focusing your energy on someone else rather than channeling it toward achieving what you want.

What I've learned about jealousy is that it's inevitable, unfortunately. We can't help but admire and want what we don't have. And that's okay, as long as we don't get malicious about it. We can use jealousy as our motivation to get what we want.

An Interview with Alex Rodriguez (not the baseball player)

For our big interview, I had the pleasure of interviewing Alex Rodriguez, the Nation/World Editor for the Chicago Tribune.

While Mr. Rodriguez is not a “suicide expert” as far as his previous work in the field, I felt very confident that his insight on covering trauma in general would prove to be extremely powerful. And I was not wrong.

During our conversation, Mr. Rodriguez shared with me how he got his start in the field, what news organizations he’s represented throughout his career, and where his job has taken him. When presented with the opportunity to travel the world and cover international news, Rodriguez was hesitant because of his lack of experience. However, he greeted the opportunity and accepted. He covered combat across the globe, ranging from Iraq, to Russia, to Pakistan, to Iran, and even areas in Africa. He quickly fell in love with covering combat, but was not exempt from feeling affected by what he saw.

Rodriguez described the horrors of war that he witnessed on a regular basis, graciously sparing the particularly gory details. He was witness to a handful of suicide and roadside bombings that took place in various parts of Baghdad that he was covering. He was in the midst of cross-fire when the Beslan school siege occurred and was present for the bombing. He quickly learned how to adapt to high-risk situations like these, and took responsibility for ensuring the safety of his fellow journalists and crew.

When it came to coping with the trauma that he witnessed, Rodriguez said every news organization he worked for made it a priority to provide any kind of emotional and mental support necessary. While he never felt the need to seek it out and found ways to cope on his own, he described feeling haunted by the images he saw on a regular basis.

The biggest take-away from my conversation with Rodriguez was his emphasis on the importance of not only covering combat across the world, but trauma overall.  He said we need reporters who take risks, but do so intelligently, in order to educate the masses. He believe it’s crucial for citizens to stay engaged and informed on traumatic events so they are better able to form opinions. I very much enjoyed the opportunity to speak with Mr. Rodriguez and hear his insight on the importance of covering trauma.

Women Covering Syria

After reading the Buzzfeed article about women covering the Syria War, I couldn’t help but feel conflicted.

The article did a wonderful job of painting a picture of the sisterhood between female journalists in their quest to (continue to) cover combat, and to cover it well. It shed light on the unbalanced recognition of journalistic work when it comes to male and female reporters. It discussed the conflicting views of what kind of journalism makes the front page. All of this, I could wrap my head around and supported whole-heartedly. But what I could not get on board with was the blame that was put on men and women, and the focus of putting someone at fault.

The article addressed a number of reasons why women are getting shafted when it comes to receiving recognition for their work. One reason being that women don’t nominate themselves for awards or promote their work while men do so on a regular basis. Another reason was that women are quick to put themselves down, and another being that women love the softer stuff and men love the blood and gore. At this point in the reading, I was losing patience.

I believe those were all valid points to make. Yes, women are less likely to promote their work and nominate themselves for awards. I can understand why women put themselves down in this industry. And it’s true, as we know, that if it bleeds it leads. But some of the language in this article, in my opinion, is directly perpetuating the themes that it is working to criticize.

Saying that women have a habit of putting themselves down sounds like an overgeneralization of women’s self-confidence and self-esteem. If it were me, I wouldn’t have included that quote.

Saying that women don’t promote themselves or nominate themselves for awards because they are overshadowed by the overwhelming amount of men who do so is indirectly shaming men for asserting themselves in the industry.

Saying that front line gory coverage takes priority over showing real life amid war is criticizing both men and women for the variety of coverage they do, when the real issue here is about changing society’s perception of what kind of news is important and what needs to be covered.

I won’t neglect to acknowledge the statistics and personal experiences of these men and women that support the claims in the article. They serve as strong evidence that affirms the overall message and tone of the piece. But I have a difficult time getting on board with any kind of argument that is supported by smack-talking others.

If you want to talk about why female journalists aren’t getting noticed for the work they do in reporting on the most dangerous places around the world, I don’t see the necessity in shaming men for the work they do. In some regard, it’s not their fault that a static picture of a solider in the road got the front cover of a magazine when the heart-wrenching photo of a family watching their world crumbling from combat. People want the picture of the solider because confirmation bias had led them to believe that that is what it’s like overseas in the midst of combat.

If there is any blame to place, it’s not just on female journalists, it’s not just on male journalists. It’s the fault of the industry as a whole. As journalists, we create the news, we structure the news, we shape society’s perception on the issues and stories we share. If we stop giving in to what has been popular among the masses and instead start publishing the kind of content that sheds like on the reality of war and combat, I firmly believe we can change the way people consume news and the news they search for. It’s certainly a gamble, but I think it’s worth it for the sake of the future of the industry and those who want to establish a career in it.

Adventure Seven: Hollow

What was the last piece of journalism that moved you? Not something that elicited the flat reaction of "Wow, that was cool." But rather, a piece of journalism that literally rocked you from within. You felt compelled to jump out of your seat in the same rhythm of your heart and scream about it using the oxygen at the very pit of your stomach?

I have been struggling to explain to people what my "dream job" in journalism is. I could imagine it, but articulating it was difficult. I was feeling discouraged, that maybe perhaps my dream was too far fetched and imaginative. And then I saw "Hollow."

"Hollow" is an interactive documentary piece covering the deteriorating state of a small county in West Virginia. The once booming area has seen a decline in population, economy, and overall quality of life since the 1970s. It's a collection of stories from people whose pride in their roots shed light on a kind of optimism that makes you want to give everything you can to the cause.

The incorporating of video, audio and photos was done so rhythmically and in an engaging, organized fashion. You're drawn into the story as it takes you through the history of the county- the highs and lows, the changes and its evolution, how to came to be where it is. It forces you to follow the story- though "forces" hardly seems like an appropriate word to use because of the effortless fluidity of the piece.

My struggle to explain what my dream job has ceased, with much thanks to those who made "Hollow" possible. This piece, every single aspect of it, moved me so soulfully that all I can do is think about the stories I wan to tell in a similar fashion. I'm eager to uncover untold stories and to tell them so my work may evoke a similar feeling in those who come across it.