Poynter Media Ethics Workshop to focus on trauma

Alexis Wohler

The 11th annual Poynter Media Workshop takes place Thursday, Sept. 17 in First Energy Auditorium of Franklin Hall, from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Lunch will be provided for students registering ahead of time. The theme this year is “Enduring Trauma.”

Registration for this upcoming event can be found at the workshop’s website. Media and professionals can attend for $25 and $20 for educators. Students can attend for free.

The workshop will go into specific categories of the term “Enduring Trauma.” These areas include: re-victimization, extreme crisis communication, campus sexual assault, as well as the effects of social media on trauma incidents and victims. This event will address the situations journalists are put in when covering instances of trauma and brings up a bigger issue of media ethics.

The students will hear from keynote speaker Frank Ochberg, the nation”s leading expert in journalism and trauma. His session will focus on “Coping with Cruelty.”  Other highlights of this event include: “Telling Johanna’s Story,” which will feature Rachel Dissell of the The Plain Dealer and Johanna Orozco, the young woman who at 17 was shot in the face by an ex-boyfriend.

Additional workshop speakers include journalists and media professionals who deal with trauma, media ethicists from The Poynter Institute and educators. Just a few of the other topics include:

  • No Means No: Campus Sexual Assault
  • Recognizing the Trauma of Covering Trauma: Journalists, PTSD and Self-Care
  • How the Media Trample Trauma Survivors’ Privacy
  • Extreme Crisis Communications: Best Practices
  • Amplifying the Trauma: Social Media, Online Journalism, Violence and Victims

Contact Alexis Wohler at [email protected]