“I could have done more” : Vicarious trauma expression and self-attribution among journalists’ social issues reporting

Yin, Q. and Lyu, X. and Zheng, Shiyu (Sharon) (2026) “I could have done more” : Vicarious trauma expression and self-attribution among journalists’ social issues reporting. Journalism. ISSN 1464-8849

Abstract

Research on occupational trauma of journalists has mainly concentrated on Western countries and war or conflict news reporting. It has stayed within the psychological framework of individual stress, without sufficiently examining the institutional and cultural roots of the issue. This study investigates the characteristics of vicarious trauma (VT) expression and its formation mechanisms among Chinese journalists in their daily news reporting, through the lens of institutional culture. By analyzing 25 published journalist notes and related texts, this research finds that VT experienced by Chinese journalists stems from the interaction of three institutional-cultural forces: dual professional norms create a basic tension where empathy is permitted and encouraged but negative expression is limited; regulatory rigidity hinders the institutional avenues available for trauma resolution; and a reflective culture offers attribution scripts that turn sources of trauma from institutional dilemmas into personal moral faults. Consequently, even when journalists recognize the institutional causes of their VT, the prevailing reflective culture often channels such negative emotions inward, resulting in internal trauma marked by a loss of meaning, exhaustion of self-efficacy, and intertwined feelings of moral guilt. This study not only broadens the context of research on journalistic trauma but also highlights the high dependency on situational and institutional factors in the development of VT as an occupational issue. Meanwhile, by combining institutional-cultural analysis with individual psychology, this study expands the cultural boundaries of VT theory and offers a new perspective for understanding the occupational risks and news production practices of Chinese journalists.