Soldiers get aftercare and space for decompression after returning from the frontlines. Paramedics have also realised their own limits. But journalists continue to push themselves past their limits
This article is based on an event that took place under the Chatham House Rule, meaning we have covered the talks without identifying any of the speakers' identities
I've been to enough media conferences in the eight years I've worked at JournalismUK to know that as an industry, we can be quite inward-looking. We hear from many of the same publishers, thought-leaders and strategists. And while all of that is fine and valid, there's nothing quite like an outside perspective.
That's why it was particularly interesting to hear a senior NHS paramedic speak at a journalism conference about mental health this week (Mediastrong, 13 July 2026), and the parallels between our sectors immediately started to pop out.
A profession drawn to danger and going where others wouldn't. A sector driven by high standards, hyper-critical service recipients and serious consequences for failure. A frontline service where trauma exposure is an everyday occurrence. An industry culture that has developed dark humour, macho attitudes and poor coping mechanisms (chiefly substance misuse) in response. Staffers who dwell on their mistakes and are away from home for long hours.
And, of course, if you haven't been regularly and healthily releasing your trauma, and then stop work for a while, the toll catches up with you all at once. And now you're at crisis point.
Seasoned journalists touched on many of these themes across the day. Some recalled their naivety as young journalists throwing themselves into dangerous situations to make an impression. Others said they felt 'invincible' in the field and how they struggled to cope with the delayed impact of trauma once they stopped taking assignments. But new attitudes are forming.
