News

16 Apr Results of the SPJ State of Journalism and Mental Health in Washington State Survey

Board members of the SPJ Western Washington Pro Chapter were concerned. The year 2020 was a tumultuous time for journalists not only in our state, but across the country — as both the coronavirus pandemic and demonstrations took hold in our communities. Our goal was to gain insight into the mental health of journalists in our state and pinpoint areas in which we could provide assistance. What we learned was concerning: A majority of the journalists who took our survey said mental wellness was more of a struggle now than before the pandemic, that they never use mental health services, and that a myriad of barriers contributes to this. The survey was open to any Washington state journalist, from March 17 to April 11, 2021. We promoted the survey through our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter), and reached out to journalists in our state both directly and through their news organizations. This report includes data from 148 reporters, photographers, editors, web producers, newsroom executives, and others.

Some results from the survey gave us a clear indication that journalists in Washington state have been experiencing a heightened level of work-related stress in the past year, and that has caused higher incidences of anxiety and depression throughout many of the roles in our industry.

See the full results of SPJ Western Washington's mental health survey here.

21 Mar Upcoming event covers mental health and journalism

SPJ Western Washington Pro Chapter presents a discussion on the the implications of the non-stop news cycle of 2020, our financially unstable field, and the ways journalists have learned to cope while navigating our own safety within high-stress environments. The event will take place virtually on...

17 Mar New survey launched to gain insight on mental health of journalists in Washington state

This past year has been incredibly difficult for many people, including journalists in Washington state. We at the Society of Professional Journalists Western Washington Chapter recognize the mental health and wellness toll the Covid-19 pandemic and civil unrest in our cities may have taken on...

05 Mar SPJ Western Washington calls on state officials to include journalists in vaccine schedule

Today, the board of SPJ Western Washington Pro Chapter — along with our colleagues representing several other journalism organizations — have sent a letter to the Washington State Department of Health arguing that frontline journalists should be included in Phase 1B of the vaccine schedule. Over...

28 Jan Northwest Excellence in Journalism 2020 now open!

The Northwest Excellence in Journalism 2020 Awards submission portal is live! Grab your best clips from last year, and send them our way. This competition is one of the largest of its kind in the nation and honors journalists across SPJ Region 10, including Alaska, Washington,...

04 Jan Photo prints needed for upcoming Passion Projects grant fundraiser

Grants go to support unfunded projects by Washington state visual storytellers Now entering its seventh year, the SPJ Western Washington Passion Projects grant program is again aiming to provide financial support to Washington state visual journalists who are wanting to pursue projects that have not yet...

28 Dec SPJ Western Washington seeks donations for journalists experiencing second-hand trauma

This year, journalists have worked tirelessly to keep up with the constant news cycle of the Covid-19 pandemic, wildfires, and a civil movement for racial justice.  Behind the scenes our newsrooms have shuttered, our hours reduced and jobs cut. News organizations were not immune to the...

15 Oct SPJ Western Washington launches campaign to stop disinformation

In our current political climate, and with social media moving from a platform that shares headlines to one that creates them, it can be difficult to discern fact from fiction. The SPJ Western Washington Pro Chapter wants news consumers to be cautious when reading information online....

28 Jul Congratulations to SPJ Western Washington’s journalists of the year

SPJ Western Washington is pleased to announce the recipients of our annual chapter awards: Dominic Gates Journalist of the Year The Seattle Times' Dominic Gates' groundbreaking reporting on the Boeing 737 MAX crisis revealed systemic internal and government failures. Gates' reporting "laid bare how the federal regulator was...