The Global Center for Journalism and Trauma

Global Center Mission and History

The Global Center for Journalism and Trauma is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to informed, innovative and ethical news reporting on violence, crisis and tragedy, and to the psychological resilience of journalists worldwide.

Drawing on an international and interdisciplinary network of news professionals, mental health experts, educators and researchers, the Global Center provides reporters and filmmakers with the knowledge, skills and support necessary to meet the challenge of trauma-aware reporting. Grounded in both the highest standards of journalism practice and evidence-based trauma science, the Global Center for Journalism and Trauma:

• Advocates for compassionate, ethical and professional reporting on victims and survivors;

• Advances press freedom through research and education on the impact of trauma-facing reporting and best practices to foster resilience in news professionals;

• Provides a professional forum for journalists across all media to share knowledge and ideas, advance strategies related to effective, ethical reporting on violence and tragedy and foster best practices in professional trauma awareness and duty of care.

The Global Center for Journalism and Trauma was established to carry forward the work of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, based at the University of Washington from 1999-2009 and at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism from 2009-2025. The Dart Center was sunset by Columbia University in 2025. The Global Center for Journalism and Trauma, an independent nonprofit organization, expands on that legacy for a new era of profound challenges to journalism, press freedom and democracy.

The global campaign for trauma-aware journalism traces its roots to 1991, when Frank Ochberg M.D., a psychiatrist and pioneer in the treatment of traumatic stress, collaborated with journalism faculty at Michigan State University and the Michigan Victim Alliance to establish a small program to assist journalism students in reporting on victims of violence with sensitivity, dignity and respect. That MSU program, the first of its kind, was funded by the Dart Foundation of Mason, Michigan. In 1994 the Dart Foundation established the annual Dart Award for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma, initially administered by MSU. By the mid-1990s a growing number of journalists, educators and researchers worldwide began exploring the intersection of news reporting and violence, examining both existing professional practices for reporting on trauma and the impact of trauma reporting on journalists themselves. In 1999, the Dart Foundation established the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at the University of Washington Department of Communications. In 2009, the Dart Foundation accepted an invitation from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism to relocate the Dart Center as a project of Columbia. Over 16 years at Columbia, the Dart Center hosted hundreds of journalist and documentary film fellows; trained journalists and managers in newsrooms worldwide; sponsored workshops and public programs on issues and events ranging from mass shootings to forced migration; pioneered newsroom peer support programs; nurtured numerous groundbreaking academic studies; and convened wide-ranging conversations and collaborations among journalists, clinicians and researchers. The Dart Center ceased operations in July 2025.

The Global Center for Journalism and Trauma (GCJT) was established with funding from Humanity United, the MacArthur Foundation and Press Forward. It is unaffiliated with Columbia University or the Dart Foundation. As a public service to the journalism community, the GCJT website makes available a comprehensive archive of resources from the Dart Center alongside original GCJT content.