“Our priority was simple: the reporter should not face the abuse alone,” said KBS Korea’s Team Leader at the Political & Foreign Affairs Department, Hyungchul Chi. Speaking at the Global News Forum in Sydney, Chi said KBS reported exclusively on a police investigation involving a celebrity, which later sparked a fierce debate among Korean netizens, as the coverage was picked up by several other media outlets and became more competitive, sensational and provocative.

Due to this report, Chi said KBS faced intense anger and criticism since it was the first outlet to report the case. He added that beyond the journalism itself, the criticism and attacks started to shift towards the journalists themselves, which eventually led to false claims, sexual comments and threats, which he described as cyberbullying.

“We tolerated harsh criticism and complaints, but we requested removal when online messages included false claims, sexual insinuations, threats, personal information or direct personal attacks…we handled hundreds of cases this way. It was stressful even for the colleagues reviewing them,” said Chi.

Not only KBS, but more newsrooms also started to acknowledge the importance of addressing this issue, especially when it comes to protecting the sanity of news people.

War journalists, for example, face all sorts of mental abuse while reporting on the ground. The smell of dust, live explosions and the howling of people surrounding those who lost their family members become imprinted in their subconscious minds. And that’s part and parcel of being a war journalist, said TRT Türkiye’s Deputy Director General, Ahmet Görmez.

“As I told you, when you are watching those images [of explosions], and I can clearly see from your faces that some of your hearts really pumped a lot, yes? It’s what we call adrenaline. It’s what the journalists are facing in the field every moment they are living with it,” said Görmez, who is also the ABU News Group Chair, during one of the ABU Member Showcase session.

He added that when journalists come back home, they bring all their memories with them. “And in the war, you see the worst human being,”  Görmez added.

“It is not about being crazy. You need to talk with people…the ones who are okay to talk are generally easier [for you] to get over it because you can share it, but sometimes you just keep on pressing it in your heart. In my personal experience, the most difficult ones are the ones we need to take care of,” Görmez told the delegates.