Knight-Cabot Workshop on Trauma

For Journalists and Editors Covering the Americas,
Oct. 13 & 14, 2009

The second annual Knight-Cabot Workshop took place at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism on October 13 and 14, 2009. The workshop, entitled “Covering Violence: Trauma and Journalism in Latin America” was underwritten by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and presented by the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma and the Maria Moors Cabot Prize Program. The conference was held in conjunction with the annual Maria Moors Cabot Prize dinner.

The workshop brought together journalists from across Latin America as well as leading mental health practitioners and trauma clinicians. This invitation-only workshop addressed the special challenges faced by journalists in Latin America covering the aftermath of violence, ranging from war and civil conflict to humanitarian disasters, criminal violence and domestic abuse. The workshop focused on the impact of psychological trauma on journalists and the individuals and communities they cover; provided practical training in improving coverage of victims; and also explored how news organizations in Latin America can encourage resilience in the face of continuing violence and threats.

The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, based at Columbia Journalism School, is dedicated to informed, innovative and ethical news reporting on violence, conflict and tragedy, and provides journalists around the world with the resources necessary to meet this challenge. This workshop was organized by the Dart Center in conjunction with the Maria Moors Cabot Prize program.

“We are fortunate that the move of the Dart Center to Columbia is enabling us to offer this important level of training to journalists who rarely get the opportunity to improve how they cover these issues and at the same time learn now to protect themselves,” said Arlene Morgan, Associate Dean of Prizes and Programs.

Learn more about this year’s conference from The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma.

View the conference Web site, www.coveringtrauma.com.

To learn more about last year's conference, "Scared Silent," which covered the threat drug mafias pose to Mexican journalists, visit www.scaredsilentconference.org

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation advances journalism in the digital age and invests in the vitality of communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Since 1950, the foundation has granted more than $400 million to advance quality journalism and freedom of expression. Knight Foundation focuses on projects that promote community engagement and lead to transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.

Contact Information

Kate Black
Program Coordinator
Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
2950 Broadway, Room 303
New York, NY 10027
(347) 446-1724
kate.black@dartcenter.org

Jane M. Folpe
Associate Director, Continuing Education
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
2950 Broadway, MC 3800
New York, NY 10027
(212) 854-5974
Fax: (212) 854-3800
jf680@columbia.edu