Tips and recommendations for my Social Media for Journalists class (Fall 2022) at the University of Oregon. The deck includes tips for digital safety, self-care and mental well-being, as well as managing digital overload. It features links to resources and materials from DART, CPJ, Poynter and others.

1. Social Media
Safety and
Managing Your
Mental Health
Fall 2022

2. Sound
familiar?
• FOMO
• Doomscrolling
• Feeling overwhelmed

4. Strategies?

5. Some ideas
• Newsletters
• Limiting usage
• Digital Detox
• Blockers
• “Cell phone jail”

6. Digital Safety

7. Some tips from CPJ (Committee to Protect Journalists)
Read Read more: https://cpj.org/2019/07/digital-safety-kit-journalists/
Turn on Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA). Ideally, use an authenticator app as your form of 2FA instead of SMS.
Create Create long passwords of more than 15 characters. Do not reuse passwords. Use a password manager to help you manage your
passwords.
Delete Delete any accounts that you no longer use. Remember to create copies of any information you want to save.
Review Review your privacy settings and understand what information is public, especially on social media.
Separate Separate your work and private life online and avoid mixing professional and personal information in accounts. This will limit access
to data if one of them is breached.

8. Task
Sign up to https://haveibeenpwned.com/, a site
that notifies you via email if any of the software or
websites you used have had their data breached.
While this might be scary, it is also one of the best
early-warning systems to see if your data has been
leaked, so you can then act accordingly.
Via: IJNET https://ijnet.org/en/story/tips-help-journalists-protect-themselves-online

9. Pro Tip
“Regularly scrub your social media accounts with apps like Jumble and Scrubber that can
detect and delete old posts based on various filters such as profanity or religious and
political content. Conduct reverse image searches to double check whether photos of you
have been indexed by search engines. A seemingly harmless photo can sometimes provide
a surprising amount of information about you and pose a threat to your safety.”
Via: First Draft https://firstdraftnews.org/articles/how-journalists-can-keep-safe-and-connected-in-a-crisis/

11. Do the NYT Doxxing Training
• Doxxing Guide: This guide details steps that you can walk through on your own or with a group to begin
cleaning up your online footprint. It includes a list of data broker websites that offer opt-out options,
targeted techniques for search engines and tips for locking down your social media accounts.
• Social Media Security and Privacy Checklist: This guide includes checklists of recommended security
and privacy settings for several popular social media websites that will ensure your profiles are locked
down and that you’re only sharing information that you’re comfortable sharing.
• Doxxing Curriculum Outline: A high-level overview of the curriculum we used when running doxxing
workshops at The New York Times. If you’d like to bring a version of this program to your newsroom or
organization, or to a group you work with, this resource will help you build out a formal training session.
Via https://open.nytimes.com/how-to-dox-yourself-on-the-internet-d2892b4c5954

12. *New*
Meta Online
Safety Course
for Journalists
Launched 4th March 2022.
Course modules include:
• Laying a strong digital security foundation
• Secure social media usage
• How to report from difficult situations in a secure fashion
• Countering online harassment
See: https://www.facebook.com/journalismproject/meta-announces-digital-security-course

13. Self care and mental wellbeing

14. Via Journalism.co.uk
Create a
Tweetdeck
‘happy column’
1
Separate your
accounts (in
terms of what
you consume)
2
Turn off your
notifications
3
Set aside time
for yourself
4
Do not be
afraid to ask
for help
5
Join a
community of
peers
6

15. Center for
Health
Journalism
Prevent isolation:
• Find someone to talk to so you don’t feel alone.
• Keep a journal of emotions, thoughts and experiences.
• Understand the emotions you feel are normal.
Practice self-care:
• Exercise and eat properly.
• Relax regularly.
• Get enough sleep.
• Take some time off.
• Avoid mood-altering drugs and alcohol.
Practice mindfulness:
• Make time for simple activities that you enjoy: go for a
walk, listen to music, spend time with a pet, read a book.
• Stay in the present by paying close attention to what is
actually happening right now.
• Learn a mindfulness technique such as meditation, tai chi
or yoga. Or simply focus on your breath for a few minutes
as you inhale and exhale.
Via: https://centerforhealthjournalism.org/resources/lessons/reporters-covering-stressful-
assignments-self-care-crucial

16. "I don’t think vulnerability is the right word because
when we say 'I need help’, that’s not being vulnerable,
that’s actually saying ‘I’m being strong and I’m
admitting that something is happening to me’."
Hannah Storm, CEO of the Ethical Journalism Network

17. Resources
Via: Journalists Resource
https://journalistsresource.org/home/
self-care-tips-for-journalists-plus-a-list-
of-several-resources/

18. Self-care
• Self-Care Tips for News Media (Dart Center): “These tips are offered as suggestions only, to assist in fostering
healthier newsrooms and better journalism. They are based on research findings on well-being and resilience and
the practical experience of news professionals in the field.”
• Safety and Self-Care Strategies for Every Beat (Dart Center): Video, where a “panel introduced safety, security and
self-care strategies that should be in every reporter’s toolkit, for assignments ranging from neighborhood beats to
disasters, mass shootings, and investigative projects.”
• Mindfulness Training for Journalists (Dart Center): On September 10, 2015, “the Dart Center hosted a special half-
day workshop on mindfulness practice, led by teachers from the monastic community founded by poet, author
and activist Thich Nhat Hanh.”
• Chair Yoga for Journalists (Dart Center): “This 11 min. chair yoga by former foreign correspondent Kimina Lyall,
Deputy Director, Dart Centre Asia Pacific is for media practitioners working at their desks or working from home.
You do not need to be a yoga practitioner.”
• How journalists can take care of themselves while covering trauma (Poynter): “Journalists can’t properly cover
trauma if they’re suffering themselves — here’s a guide to self-care.”
• Under Pressure: Coping with stress, and knowing you’re not alone: A tip sheet compiled by Ken Armstrong,
senior reporter at ProPublica.
• 6 tips for protecting your mental health when reporting on trauma (International Journalists’ Network): “The
following techniques may help journalists build [their] own resiliency and learn how to report sensibly on trauma-
related issues.”

19. Apps and online tools for self-care
Insight Timer: A free library of
thousands of guided meditations
PTSD Coach: Developed by the
VA, the app provides education
about PTSD, information about
professional care, self assessment
and tools to manage stresses of
daily life with PTSD.
Mindfulness Coach: Developed
by the VA, the app has been
shown to be effective in reducing
stress, increasing self awareness
and helping with anxiety and
depression.
Insomnia Coach: Developed by
the VA, the app is based on
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for
Insomnia.
COVID Coach: Developed by the
VA, the app supports self-care
and overall mental health during
the pandemic.
Provider Resilience: The app is
designed to help users to stay
emotionally healthy while
remaining productive. Although
it’s designed for health-care
providers, it can be useful for
journalists.