“Psychological safety is an integral part of protecting journalists,” Lina Kushch

In the first months after the full-scale invasion, the importance of mental health was underestimated. Journalists worked 24/7 without days off. The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) team did, too.

This was emphasized by the First Secretary of the NUJU, Lina Kushch, during her speech at the Safe&Sane online conference from the 2402 Foundation.

“The tradition of neglecting psychological support, overload, and overtime work are our performance indicators. However, now media workers are more often recognizing the need for psychological support and actively seeking help,” noted the First Secretary of NUJU.

Lina Kushch presented the experience of the NUJU in introducing a psychological help hotline and conducting specialized webinars for media workers. Also, she added: “Not all psychologists are ready to work with journalists’ stories – with sensitive content, tragedies. Therefore, it is important to form systematic approaches in editorial offices and regularly raise the topic of the mental health of colleagues.”

NUJU Information Service