Burnout, stress and PTSD in the newsroom

New research says the problem is getting worse

There’s nothing positive to come out of the resignation of KCCI-TV’s chief meteorologist Chris Gloninger this week, except to bring attention to the growing problem of burnout and stress in newsrooms across the country. Gloninger’s resignation, which drew national coverage, comes the same week that an industry group released research that nearly two-thirds of TV news directors say staff burnout is worse than it was a year ago.

I did not work with Gloninger. He was hired after I retired. But I hired a lot of meteorologists over the years and in my opinion watching from home, Gloninger was a great hire. He quickly fit right into the news team. He is credible, a good communicator, and likeable. I’d have hired him in a heartbeat.

A year or so into his too-short tenure at the station, he began taking complaints from some viewers whenever he mentioned climate change. In my view, he did exactly what should be done – show that Iowa’s weather is changing. He reported facts – and how those facts impact our lives. I don’t feel he crossed over into advocacy.

Not all viewers liked it, though. Last summer, Gloninger received a series of ever-threatening emails. One viewer threatened his life and his family’s safety. Gloninger had to leave his home for a time and have security protection. It might be easy for some to tough it out, especially when the main culprit is charged. But when you’re awake at three in the morning because something goes bump in the night, and your family is next to you, the stress can add up. Chris decided it wasn’t worth it, so he’s leaving a good job, a good station, and a good community. It’s too bad. For all of us.

A national story

The allure of headlines like “Meteorologist who was threatened over climate change to leave job” was understandably a juicy national story. It ran this week in the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today and even People magazine. It gives Iowa yet another black eye on the national stage as a place that is intolerant. Judging by the comments on Gloninger’s Facebook page, there are hundreds of supportive Iowans for every jerk who sent a threatening email. But that doesn’t get the coverage.

Not an isolated incident

Newsrooms have always been stressful places to work but new research released this week says the problem is getting worse. The Radio-Television Digital News Association reports that 69% of all TV news directors say burnout is worse than it was a year ago. Some comments from the news directors:

·         “They quit, they quiet quit, they cry in my office.”

·         “People are just exhausted.”

·         “We are stretched too thin and that gets worse every year. Further, it’s nearly impossible to get applicants anymore. We have jobs posted for months before we see even one application, let alone a good one.”

·         “Less passion, more sick days, heavier mood, more stress.”

News managers say they’re trying to respond with help, by offering staff parties, counseling, career growth training, gym memberships, encouragement and coaching. Others are offering higher pay, bonuses, extra time off. It’s going to take all those steps, and more, or the business will simply be unable to function in the future.

It’s largely incumbent on owners and managers to figure this out but viewers and readers play a role, too. Journalists enjoy hearing feedback, even if it’s negative. But it’s not okay to go off on your local news person. Not okay to threaten them. The friendly meteorologist bringing you the weather, the reporter out covering emotional stories are real people, too. They worry about their safety and their families, just like you do. So – reach out and say thanks. Send a compliment. Send a concern – that’s all fine. Just keep it civil. Keep it about the work. Don’t make it personal.

Governor Reynolds settles out of court

It’s good news that Governor Reynolds decided to settle out of court with journalists who sued her over taking well more than a year to respond to freedom of information requests. The tentative settlement still needs approval from the judge. The state agrees to pay $135,000 in damages, mostly to cover legal fees, but the settlement says the governor does not have to admit wrongdoing. Fine. I look at the settlement and see 135,000 admissions of wrongdoing.

Reynolds’ office says she was too busy with pandemic issues to respond to the reporters’ requests. I’d be more willing to buy her claim of “no wrongdoing” if it was an isolated incident. But it’s not. It’s part and parcel of her campaign to stiff-arm the media at every turn. She participated in only one debate during last year’s campaign. She refused to sit down for interviews with newspaper editorial boards. She holds a news conference once in a blue moon. A Cedar Rapids TV station was denied permission to cover her election night victory party. Her office frequently fails to respond to reporters’ requests for comment.

It's not hard to imagine her office’s response to the reporters’ FOI requests going something like, “Ignore it. What are they gonna do? Sue us?”

The media did, so let’s hope it’s a lesson learned, and we don’t have a repeat.

Check out other Iowa viewpoints from the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative:

Laura Belin: Iowa Politics with Laura Belin, Windsor Heights

Doug Burns: The Iowa Mercury, Carroll

Dave Busiek: Dave Busiek on Media, Des Moines

Stephanie Copley: It Was Never a Dress, Johnston

Art Cullen: Art Cullen’s Notebook, Storm Lake

Suzanna de Baca Dispatches from the Heartland, Huxley

Debra Engle: A Whole New World, Madison County

Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji

Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames

Jody Gifford: Benign Inspiration, West Des Moines

Nik Heftman, The Seven Times, Los Angeles and Iowa

Beth Hoffman: In the Dirt, Lovilla

Dana James: New Black Iowa, Des Moines

Pat Kinney: View from Cedar Valley, Waterloo

Fern Kupfer: Fern and Joe, Ames

Robert Leonard: Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey

LettersfromIowans, Iowa

Tar Macias: Hola Iowa, Iowa

Darcy Maulsby: Keepin’ It Rural, Lake City

Kurt Meyer, Showing Up, St. Ansgar

Wini Moranville, Wini’s Food Stories, Des Moines

Kyle Munson, Kyle Munson’s Main Street, Des Moines

Jane Nguyen, The Asian Iowan, West Des Moines

John Naughton: My Life, in Color, Des Moines

Chuck Offenburger: Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger, Jefferson and Des Moines

Barry Piatt: Piatt on Politics: Behind the Curtains, Washington, D.C.

Dave Price: Dave Price’s Perspective, Urbandale 

Macey Spensley, The Midwest Creative, Davenport and Des Moines

Larry Stone, Listening to the Land, Elkader

Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land, Kalona

Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Emerging Voices, Kalona

Cheryl Tevis: Unfinished Business, Boone County

Ed Tibbetts: Along the Mississippi, Davenport

Teresa Zilk: Talking Good, Des Moines

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