ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests that Covid should be taken as a wake-up call for newsrooms to recognise the urgency of conversations around mental health. It sounds the warning that without that action, the journalism industry is facing a mental health crisis. It shows how journalists are starting to leave the profession, and how the failure to address the pressing issues around mental health could be a costly mistake for the journalism industry. This chapter calls on news leaders to recognise that by supporting the mental health of their staff, they will create cultures where people feel more motivated to do their work, and how it is therefore in journalism’s best economic interests to do so. It shows how the pandemic provided newsrooms with some of the tools necessary to create this change – how hybrid working has helped boost collaboration, how newsrooms are starting to address conversations around wellbeing, and how intentional interventions can support those who are struggling. It finishes with a consideration of how newsrooms can either take these steps voluntarily or be forced to do so – and why the first option is a much better one.
