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I’ve worked in the news industry for about 25 years. I’ve always dreamed of becoming a journalist, and I’m one of the lucky people who gets to do what I love most. And while I can’t imagine myself doing anything else, I’ve realized over the last few years how much damage it’s taking on my life.
The most alarming thing I’ve seen since the October 7th Hamas attack was too horrifying to describe or share here. This past week I have seen some of the most horrible things done to people of all ages – babies, elderly women, teenagers – and I will never forget it.
Yonat Friling is a senior field producer at Fox News Media based in the Jerusalem bureau.
I also lost friends and colleagues in this terrorist attack. Like most people in Israel since the attack on the morning of Saturday, October 7th, we have either been killed, kidnapped, or know someone who is currently fighting Hamas. This affects almost every household here.
It is well known that troops are present here in Israel in times of conflict, and we are able to work well with them and tell the stories of the people here.
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There are 70,000 people living near the Israel-Gaza border, and more than 1,000 of them were massacred within 24 hours. A family seeking shelter was killed on a sunny Saturday morning. In some places, they were barricaded for 10 to 16 hours without electricity or running water, with only the clothes on their backs. They heard the footsteps and conversations of Hamas militants in their homes. Each story we hear is more puzzling and more disturbing than the other.
The situation in Israel after the Hamas attack is dire. Most towns and communities are empty. The streets are quiet, shops are closed, and there are no people passing by. There is a heavy military and police presence, and smoke from rockets and airstrikes fills the air.
In the communities closest to the border, the homes of the Israelis who lived there have been torched and bear no resemblance to the vibrant life that existed there just days ago.
I have covered many wars and conflicts here in Israel, but this was the most difficult one I have ever encountered. I can’t find the words to explain how I feel, and to be honest, I don’t have the time to do so.
Members of Yonat Friling’s team cover the aftermath of the Hamas attack in Israel in October.
One of the most amazing things was how shocked the people of Israel were, but then quickly bounced back, organizing blood drives and food deliveries, and opening their homes and hearts to people they had never met. There was some comfort in this situation. A humiliating scene.
On October 10th, we celebrated World Mental Health Day around the world.
I have covered many wars and conflicts here in Israel, but this was the most difficult one I have ever encountered. I can’t find the words to explain how I feel, and to be honest, I don’t have the time to do so.
It takes courage to admit your own shortcomings and weaknesses. But one of my favorite scholars and authors, Dr. Brené Brown of the University of Houston, says that our greatest measure of courage is when we are weak.
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I’ve covered a lot of terrorist attacks, and I’ve covered just about every terrorist attack here in Israel and around the world.
I lost my best friend 22 years ago and it feels like it just happened recently. I’ve been to a few nearby, but the most recent one was over a year ago.
I covered conflicts on three continents and lost two colleagues in Ukraine.
A few weeks ago, I returned from Morocco after covering the deadliest earthquake in 100 years.
Every moment of every mission marks an invisible scar on my skin and soul.
Trey Yingst and other members of Senior Field Producer Yonat Friling’s team at Fox News Media cover the aftermath of the October Hamas terrorist attack.
I’m not alone. There are brave women and men, cameramen, producers and correspondents who, just like me, travel the world from one chaotic event to the next.
We hop on a plane at a moment’s notice to cover wars, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, mass shootings, and other events involving violence and human suffering.
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We are there to talk to the victims and tell their stories. We meet them at the scariest moments of their lives and approach them with the utmost care, respect, responsibility, and awe.
We are there for a limited time and then move on to the next mission. But their faces and testimonies will remain in our hearts forever.
We are comrades in suffering and breaking news. Research shows that 92% of journalists have experienced at least four traumatic situations.
Reporting on trauma, whether it is a major international event or something closer to home, can also have an impact on the people doing the reporting. Like the police, fire service, medical services, military and rescue workers, journalists are professional first responders to crises and disasters. However, we are often among the last group to recognize its psychological impact.
Apart from journalists in the field, there are also people in newsrooms. Even if they are not present at the scene, repeated exposure to distressing images and experiences can expose them to vicarious trauma.
When covering such events, we must act responsibly to our viewers. We need to be aware of how our coverage may impact them.
Often when we meet again in another combat zone or another location, we hug each other and carry on. We rarely talk about what we experience.
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When I returned from Morocco, I plucked up the courage to post on my social media accounts.
After a while, I received a lot of messages from colleagues all over the world, some of whom I had never met. They all admitted to experiencing similar challenges. Most of them didn’t want to admit it publicly.
We wear armor similar to the blue vests we wear in war zones, and we fear what others will think if we show weakness.
It puts a huge strain on our lives professionally, mentally and physically. It affects your close circle of friends, home, work, and friends.
Acknowledging your feelings and choosing to talk about them is not a sign of weakness. On the contrary, it is an expression of resilience.
We need to talk about this issue, share it, and stop fighting the shame and vulnerability surrounding this issue. We should be as compassionate and kind to ourselves as we are to the people we meet in the field. We must find new ways to change the narrative around mental health.
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We need to build better programs for journalists to deal with them during, after, and before such assignments.
This is the only way to move forward from such moments of sadness and (re)build your mental strength. And the only way to make that happen is by being together.
