Silent censorship: trauma, burnout and press freedom
Sat 18 April 2026
17:00
Free
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In this era of democratic crisis, the occupational mental health of journalists takes on a new meaning. A journalist silenced by burnout, PTSD or moral injury isn’t just suffering alone: they are effectively censored, with a cost to the journalism community and civil society alike. As news professionals contend with the overlapping pressures of authoritarian threats, trauma-drenched news cycles, technological change and economic pressures, it is time to recognize that psychosocial support is an essential element of the press-freedom equation, and fostering resilience is a central responsibility of news organizations and the journalism community. This panel will explore these issues and how they are playing out across the news industry and the world.
Moderated by Bruce Shapiro.
Organised in association with the Global Center for Journalism and Trauma.
Modified more than a month ago
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Alessandra Galloni
Alessandra Galloni is editor-in-chief of Reuters, the first woman to lead the news agency in its 170-year history. She first joined Reuters in 1996 and left for the Wall Street Journal, where she worked for 13 years as a reporter and editor in London, Paris and Rome. In 2013 she rejoined Reuters first as editor of the Southern Europe bureau, then as global managing editor, overseeing news planning. In April 2021 she was named editor-in-chief after an extensive global search. Alessandra is the recipient of the 2020 Lawrence Minard Editor Award, one of the highest honours a business journalist can receive. She is also the recipient of an Overseas Press Club Award and a UK Business Journalist of the Year Award.
Jodie Ginsberg
Jodie Ginsberg is CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide and defends the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal. Jodie joined CPJ in 2022, having started her career as a graduate trainee with Reuters news agency and worked as a foreign correspondent in South Africa; as Reuters’ chief correspondent in Ireland; and then as then bureau chief for the U.K. and Ireland. As bureau chief, Jodie managed coverage of the 2008 financial crisis, U.K. riots and 2010 general election, as well as overseeing the merger of the Thomson and Reuters U.K. newsrooms. In 2014, Jodie was appointed chief executive of London-based freedom of expression group Index on Censorship, which she led until 2020. An internationally respected campaigner on issues of media freedom and freedom of expression, Jodie is a regular speaker on journalist safety and issues involving access to information. Fro...
Fergal Keane
Fergal Keane was born in London and educated in Ireland. He is one of the BBC's most distinguished correspondents and an award-winning broadcaster and author. He has reported for the BBC from Northern Ireland, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Balkans for more than 30 years. He’s made a number of trips to Ukraine in 2022 and 2023. He has been awarded a BAFTA, been named reporter of the year on television and radio, winning honours from the Royal Television Society and the Sony Radio Awards, most recently for his Radio 4 series Taking a Stand. Keane has won the George Orwell prize for literature, the James Cameron Prize and the Edward R. Murrow Award from the US Overseas Press Association. He is the author of a number of bestselling books including Letter to Daniel and his memoir All of These People. His latest book is The Madness – a memoir of war, fear and PTSD – a look at what draws him to reporting conflict, what keeps him there and offers a reckoning of the damage done.
Bruce Shapiro
Bruce Shapiro is Executive Director of the Global Center for Journalism and Trauma, encouraging innovative reporting on violence, conflict and tragedy worldwide. An award-winning reporter on human rights, criminal justice and politics, Shapiro is a contributing editor at The Nation and U.S. correspondent for Late Night Live on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Radio National. He has taught investigative journalism at Yale University and journalism ethics at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. In 1999 he co-founded the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma and served as its executive director from 2006-2025, first at the University of Washington and then Columbia University. Shapiro's books include Shaking the Foundations: 200 Years of Investigative Journalism in America and Legal Lynching: The Death Penalty and America's Future, co-authored with Rev. Jesse Jackson and Jesse Jackson Jr. Shapiro is recipient of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Public Advocacy Award for ""outstanding and fundamental contributions to the social understanding of trauma."" He is a member of Columbia University's Society of Senior Scholars.
Festival Internazionale del Giornalismo
Il Festival Internazionale del Giornalismo di Perugia è un evento annuale che riunisce professionisti dei media, esperti di comunicazione e appassionati di informazione da tutto il mondo. Si svolge nel centro storico di Perugia e offre conferenze, dibattiti, workshop e opportunità di networking sui temi più rilevanti del giornalismo contemporaneo.