Too much front line for reporters?

Mr. Hight and others regularly describe their experiences to other journalists with the assistance of the Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma, based at the University of Washington. The center provides online resources, compiles studies on trauma, and sends speakers to newsrooms and journalism conferences.

Few researchers have studied how journalists handle the emotional effects of covering violence, says Roger Simpson, executive director of the center. One study of 140 war correspondents found that many showed symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, which frequently affects war veterans and survivors of violence. "There were high levels of broken relationships, alienation from others, drug and alcohol abuse," Mr. Simpson says.

But some journalists, perhaps influenced by a combination of machismo and denial, fail to heed warning signs or simply don't watch for them. "We never acknowledge the impact that operating in these combat zones has on us," said Newsweek chief of correspondents Marcus Mabry, who covered the Bosnian conflict in the 1990s. "Usually when you realize it is when you don't expect it: I was back in my home in Johannesburg, sitting in my living room with a 360-degree view, relaxing in a beautiful South African evening, and I'm looking down the hill, thinking this would be a great place to have a sniper's nest. It was a war flashback."

Some media organizations offer counseling to journalists after they cover violence or warfare; at The Christian Science Monitor, employees can seek assistance through their health insurance coverage. Across the news industry, however, it's almost always up to individual journalists to decide whether to seek help. Many reporters don't bother.

Men, especially, seem uncomfortable asking for help, says Oklahoma's Hight. The perceived stigma is "something that we all have to overcome," he says. "We're not weak because we seek counseling."

Some journalists are calling for mandatory counseling - something The Daily Oklahoman considered but ultimately rejected after the bombing there.

Required sessions with therapists will help "remove the stigma," argues (New York) Daily News photographer David Handschuh, who covered the Columbine High School massacre and nearly died when one of the World Trade Center towers fell.

Newsweek's Mabry isn't sure about the wisdom of requiring counseling, but he makes a point of encouraging returning correspondents to meet counselors. "I've recommended to all my people in Iraq and Afghanistan to go see a professional when you come out, and we'll pay for it," Mr. Mabry says. "But most people as far as I know haven't taken advantage of this. They say it's no big deal, I don't have time. Once they've been through this stuff, they want to leave it behind."

That, he says, is a mistake. "I don't think they're dealing with it. And I think we have a problem."

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