Behind the Headlines with Headlines Network cover art

Behind the Headlines with Headlines Network

Behind the Headlines with Headlines Network

Written by: Headlines Network
Listen for free

About this listen

 This is Behind the Headlines with Headlines Network. Each episode, journalists Hannah Storm and John Crowley will be joined by colleagues from across the news industry who will share their experiences, the challenges they have faced and how they have managed their mental health. We'll hear stories that rarely get told, those of the story-tellers, explore why journalism matters, and why the human beings who bring us the news matter too.
You can send your questions to the team via info@headlines-network.com or tweet @HeadlinesNet using #HeadlinesPod
The Headlines Network podcast is produced by Hannah Storm and John Crowley in partnership with Boffin Media. Headlines Network Hygiene & Healthy Living Politics & Government Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • 13: Fergal Keane

    13: Fergal Keane
    Nov 4 2022
    Hannah Storm and John Crowley speak with Fergal Keane, in a special episode to coincide with the launch of his new book ‘The Madness’.

    After decades covering some of the most dangerous places in the world, Fergal reflects on the trauma he has experienced as a journalist, and how his childhood shaped his mental health. This conversation takes us from his Irish roots to reflections on the genocide in Rwanda, and the guilt he felt after, to Ukraine where he has covered the refugee story in his commitment to step back from conflict.

    Fergal explains how he wrote the book to try to make sense of his mental health, including his PTSD and alcoholism and he offers hope to others struggling with isolation. It’s a fascinating conversation with one of the BBC’s most well-known journalists, who offers a clarion call to our industry to take seriously conversations about mental health in journalism and reminds us that mental health is an ongoing journey.

    WARNING: Contains some strong language and adult themes.
    Show More Show Less
    44 mins
  • 12: Leona O'Neill

    12: Leona O'Neill
    Oct 10 2022
    Leona O'Neill is our guest for this World Mental Health Day episode. Here she speaks with Hannah Storm and John Crowley about the horrific moment when fellow journalist Lyra McKee was shot dead as she stood next to her, while covering a riot in Northern Ireland.

    Leona shares how in the aftermath of that trauma, she became the target of violent online threats and how these episodes impacted her mental health. Speaking with humanity and immense bravery, Leona describes how she was motivated to channel her trauma to tackle taboos in our industry, and how the book, 'Breaking: Trauma in the Newsroom' came from that.

    The book, published this month and edited by Leona and the BBC's Chris Lindsay, combines the courageous testimonies of journalists who describe how their work has impacted their mental health. It's a tribute to their courage and to the determination of our podcast guest and her passion to move from a news culture that breaks us to one that makes better journalism.
    Show More Show Less
    42 mins
  • 11: Alex Crawford

    11: Alex Crawford
    Sep 22 2022
    In this episode, Hannah Storm and John Crowley are joined by Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent for Sky News, who talks about some of the more traumatic moments of her journalism career, such as being kidnapped in Afghanistan, and when she was trapped in a Mosque in Libya, where she witnessed the suffering of injured and dying people.

    By bravely sharing her experiences of post-traumatic stress disorder, Crawford offers a message of hope to those who may feel ashamed or isolated, and a reminder of why she and so many other journalists keep on returning to stories where they risk their own safety, in order to bear witness and hold power to account.
    Show More Show Less
    46 mins
No reviews yet