MEDIA managers and heads of newsrooms are being urged to see to the mental well-being of young journalists who may be psychologically impacted by harrowing events they have to cover as part of their duties.

Media stalwart Arthur Hall made this impassioned plea on Wednesday as he addressed the Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) Veterans’ Luncheon held at Jamaica Pegasus hotel in St Andrew, where he was among five awardees.

“I am saying to you, we need support for these young journalists. The fact is these journalists…in 20, 30 years are going to be here collecting the veterans’ award if we can keep them. Now some of them are going to leave because of the salary, but that’s another issue for another day. But many are going to leave to keep their peace of mind. It can’t be that we send them out on the road every day, they cover the most gruesome events, they report on the most gruesome events, and media managers, news editors do not think about their mental state.

“It can’t be that we leave journalists ‘fi tough it out’. Today, I’m saying to you, we who have walked the walk…we need to ensure that these young people — these talented, promising young people — do not leave the profession because they have to find their mental health stability. And if they do, it is bad for Jamaica, it’s bad for democracy if we don’t have their quality in the media,” he argued.

Hall, who is editor-at-large at the Jamaica Observer, said that at the time he entered journalism, when a journalist had a traumatic day, they had to turn to the church or smoking and drinking to “settle your nerves”.

“There was a time when there was no yellow tape drawn on crime scenes and we as journalists would argue about how many bullet holes we counted in the body of a victim, a time when mental challenges were considered weaknesses and journalists had to hide the fact that they were struggling to cope,” he said.

Recalling a chilling experience which still haunts him today, Hall said he visited a crime scene in central Kingston where a mother and child had been killed. He said that against the advice of the late veteran crime fighter Hector “Bingie” White to not enter the room, he went because he believed he could handle it.

“When I went into the room I saw a lady on the bed with a neat hole in her forehead and just a trickle of blood. A baby was on her belly and the baby had no skull. The bullet had destroyed the baby’s skull. When I came out of the room, everything that I ate for the past four days started coming up,” he said.

He said White offered him a shot of J Wray & Nephew white rum with some water, which settled his stomach, “but it never settled my mind”.

“For the next week I could not sleep. Every time I tried to fall asleep I would see that baby head back in my dreams. Every time I tried to eat…I had no appetite because I saw that baby. And it was something that I couldn’t tell my seniors in the newsroom, because I didn’t want anyone to believe that I was soft. You haffi be thugs and you tough it out, and I fought my demon in silence. And that for me has woken me up,” he said.

He said that, in reflecting on this experience, he is acutely aware of how these types of traumatic events can seriously impact one’s mental health and has led him to wonder how new journalists in the profession are coping.

“At a time when we are now looking at mental health issues, I am thinking of the young reporters who had to report on the case of Danielle Rowe, that eight-year-old who was abducted, her throat slit, and abandoned to die. How many of our young reporters now have a child now who is eight years old, have a niece who is an eight year old, has a neighbour who is eight years old? What did that reporter face when they reported that Danielle Rowe story? In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, I sent a reporter to Clarendon and she came back and she said, ‘Boss, I gave away my water, my money, and when I saw how the man’s house was damaged, boss, I wanted to take off my water boot and give him.’ I have never thought about the trauma that she faced when she went home,” he said.

In the meantime, Hall, who was responding on behalf of his fellow veteran awardees, said he is pleased with the new cadre of journalists he is now seeing in the profession.

“The are some young reporters who are five years in the media, three years in the media, they are much better than I was when I was five years in the media or three years in the media, and being as modest as I can be, me, Barbara [Gayle], Durant [Pate], Joseph [Wellington], Bertis [Bell], we come out at the top drawer of Jamaican journalism, but these young people have shown that they can reach what we have done and better it,” he said.

PAJ President Dashan Hendricks also thanked the veteran journalists for paving the way through their dedication, perseverance, and commitment to truth.

“You have witnessed history unfold, chronicled our struggles, and highlighted our triumphs. Your pens in the past and now your keyboards have crafted the first draft of Jamaica’s history and Jamaica’s story since Independence, and your legacy continues to inspire us,” he said.

“Your expertise, wisdom, and institutional knowledge are invaluable. We seek to build upon your foundations, innovating while remaining true to the principles of ethical journalism. For the Press Association of Jamaica, we remain committed to advocating for a free press and journalists’ rights,” he added, while also calling on media veterans to continue sharing their expertise, mentoring the next generation, and guiding them through the complexities of a rapidly changing industry.

The honorees, who have dedicated a combined 182 years to the profession, are Arthur Hall, 36 years; photo editor, Jamaica Observer, Joseph Wellington, 34 years; journalist, The Gleaner, Barbara Gayle, 40 years; presenter/commentator, Television Jamaica Neville “Bertis” Bell, 36 years; journalist, Jamaica Observer/Our Today, Durrant Pate, 36 years.