The Harming and the Helping: Perceived Organizational Effects on Mental Health in the Newsroom

Abstract

This study utilizes both systems theory and Schein’s theory of organizational culture to understand how newsrooms can best mitigate forces negatively impacting the mental health of journalists. Through in-depth interviews with more than five dozen professional journalists, the study identifies four factors potentially affecting mental health: the profit drive of the news organization; the social media policies of the organization; the perceived level of job precarity within the newsroom; and the perceived decision-making power of newsroom leadership. Through theoretical analysis, the study then illustrates how organizations can enact a culture that potentially lessens the negative effects on mental health of these forces.