Description

Charlie Scudder is an award-winning journalist from Dallas, Texas. He’s covered many tragedies including the 2016 Dallas police shootings, the 2019 shooting spree in Midland-Odessa, and the school shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde in 2022. In this episode Charlie candidly discusses his struggles with mental health because of his work, and the tools he learned to use to keep him healthy and able to continue doing important journalism. He also talks about how he applies his experiences to his teaching at Southern Methodist University. This episode is a must-listen for anyone wanting to understand more about how journalists can struggle with mental health and the best ways to deal with it.

Chapter list

00:00 Charlie Scudder's Background and Career

03:27 Covering the 2016 Dallas Shootings

07:40 Charlie's Trauma Journey

12:26 Escalating Symptoms of Trauma Exposure

15:24 The Role of Newsrooms

17:51 Seeking Help for Trauma Exposure

22:24 Journalists Are First Responders

26:18 Covering Uvalde

31:48 Learning the Tools for Resilience

34:50 Trauma Informed Journalism Education

40:08 Advice for Journalists

43:54 Charlie's Other Projects

51:01 Conclusion

Show Notes

Charlie’s Bio https://www.smu.edu/meadows/areasofstudy/journalism/faculty/scuddercharlie

Check out Charlie’s work on Seasons 2 & 4 of “The Unforgotten” Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-unforgotten/id1752378130
https://open.spotify.com/show/6eTkJLdWysymSWKLQd9R5z

Follow Charlie on Instagram - @cscudder15

Other mentions in the podcast
Global Center for Journalism and Trauma https://gcjt.org/
Dallas Morning News Coverage of the 2016 Police Shootings https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/staff-190