It’s ironic that listening is one of the core skills in journalism and yet we spend very little time listening inward — to our own selves and to each other. Focusing on our external audience is essential to our business; however, paying attention and caring for our colleagues is just as important to our sustainability. It’s crucial to tackle the mental health epidemic affecting many media professionals worldwide.

While peer support initiatives started in the media as early as 2006, they’re still a scarce resource. In 2025, they will become a common practice in our industry. This isn’t just wishful thinking: This year, we’ve already seen the conversation spread, with a guide on “The Power of Peer Support” published by PEN America, a half-day discussion among partners at the ACOS Alliance meeting in London, and multiple sessions on the topic during the Mental Health in Journalism Summit (MHJS24).

“Journalists repeatedly tell us that they prefer to seek support from other journalists when faced with occupational stressors” said Susan E. McGregor, research scholar at Columbia’s Data Science Institute and co-author of the PEN America report, which focused on online harassment.

So is a simple “Hey, how are you?” once in a while enough? Yes and no.

We need to have deep conversations about how we are doing, not just water cooler moments in the newsroom. Providing a listening ear is more powerful than you think. Regular 1:1 meetings with managers are one of the best ways to mitigate burnout — but still are regularly overlooked due to our busy schedules. One common mistake: We tend to believe we should offer a fix, a solution. The truth is that what most people want is to feel seen and heard by an empathetic listener.

What the journalism community currently needs for collective resilience are permanent — and not random — structures of peer support. These can show up in several ways:

• Peer support networks: A colleague-to-colleague model already exists at major media companies such as the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the CBC, The Washington Post, the BBC, and Reuters. If somebody needs support, selected journalists become the first point of contact on a rotating basis after having received training in topics like mental health first aid or trauma risk management. Normally, they also get supervision by external clinical services.

  Unions or journalism associations can also provide this type of resource. Cross-industry programs are facilitated, for example, by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines; the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism, which created a program as a result of the needs that emerged with the Gaza conflict; and Netzwerk Recherche, which has an anonymous telephone counseling service attended by peers in Germany. (Learn more by watching the MHJS24 session “Implementing Journalist Peer Support Programs: Lessons from Those Who Have Done It, 2006 to Now.”)

• Small-group support: These are colleagues who convene on a regular basis to share and discuss challenges over a facilitated conversation. It can be a more cost-effective measure than peer support networks. Some newsrooms are creating those regular sharing spaces among teams without a facilitator, but having a trained colleague perform this role helps guide and contain the dialogue, especially in heated moments. This is why in some cases, organizations also resort to external experts. For example, El Salvador’s feminist online outlet Alharaca has been doing biweekly virtual and in-person sessions with the supervision of a therapist over the past 18 months. (Watch their MHJS24 session “Mental Health as a Collective: The Newsroom as the First Place of Support.”)

Regardless of the format, the key is that most of the value comes from exchanges between peers. “Our thought provoking discussions showed me that I’m not alone with my worries and challenges. We have very similar experiences no matter which part of the world we live and work in — and this realization itself is a great help!” said Blanka Zöldi, editor-in-chief of Lakmusz (Hungary) during one of The Self-Investigation’s programs.

Active listening is at the heart of all of these options. In other words: listening deeply, non-judgmentally and empathetically is what’s essential for these structures to work. But it requires two to tango.

“I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth — unless you ask me how I am, in which case I will say, ‘I’m fine,’ even though I’m not fine” reads the caption of a New Yorker cartoon of a man taking the oath on a witness stand.

Many probably identify with him — trying to hide their struggles due to fear of being looked down on or of retaliation for being considered too weak. Any support measures, even if coming from other journalists, can fail if they’re not paired with the proper awareness actions, such as this blog where Reuters colleagues speak up about their experiences. We know very, very well the power of stories, of careful listening and genuine curiosity. Let’s put our expert communication skills to use in order to end mental health stigma in the media.