NEW TRAUMA-INFORMED MEDIA TOOLKIT LAUNCHED TO SUPPORT RESPONSIBLE CLIMATE DISASTER REPORTING
Climate Media Centre
As climate-fueled extreme weather events become more frequent and severe across Australia, the Climate Media Centre (CMC) has today launched a Trauma-Informed Media Toolkit.
The industry-first resource is designed to equip journalists, newsroom leaders, and communications professionals with the practical skills needed to report on climate disasters responsibly and ethically; avoiding unintentional harm to others.
Developed in response to the growing psychological toll of compounding disasters, the toolkit provides actionable checklists for on-air practices, ethical interviewing, and facilitating psychologically safe media engagements.
“Responsible climate reporting is not only about the science; it is about deeply human experiences of loss, displacement and survival,” said Danielle Veldre, Director of the Climate Media Centre.
“When handled poorly, survivors tell us that media engagement can feel extractive, and unintentionally re-traumatise people who have recently experienced trauma, like the loss of their home in a bushfire.
“As communicators, we know that language matters, so this toolkit provides practical steps for newsrooms to ensure dignity, ongoing consent, and survivor-centric language are at the heart of their reporting. Crucially, it also includes resources to protect the psychological safety of the media workers who are also not immune to the effects of vicarious trauma.”
The toolkit was developed as an initiative of the South Australian Council of Social Service’s People at Increased Risk in Emergencies Project with funding support from the Australian Government. It draws on extensive consultations with trauma specialists, media experts, and people with lived experience of climate disasters.
Psychology for a Safe Climate and Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action both made vital contributions to the guide with clinical expertise and lived-experience perspectives and were fundamental in shaping the guidelines within this toolkit.
The Trauma-Informed Media Toolkit provides guidance on:
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Consent and boundaries: Establishing ongoing consent and clear boundaries before, during, and after an interview.
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Language and framing: Transitioning away from sensationalised grief, apocalyptic framing, and prescriptive language.
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Image use: Guidelines on avoiding triggering imagery (e.g. active house fires) and utilising safer, abstract alternatives.
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Duty of care: Checklists for communications professionals managing vulnerable talent.
The toolkit is freely available for all newsrooms, journalists and public relations professionals. It can be downloaded at the CMC’s website.
ENDS
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Danielle Veldre, CMC Director
0408972997