Being a journalist during the last Trump administration and covering the COVID-19 pandemic were both unprecedented and unpredictable experiences, frequently frustrating and often chaotic — if not downright scary.
That’s the sentiment I heard, and related to, when asking my colleagues to recall what being a health reporter from 2017 to 2021 was like.
“The COVID pandemic was challenging to cover on its own, but the Trump administration’s control of information in the White House, largely bypassing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, added to the challenge,” one AHCJ member, an editor who asked to remain anonymous, tells me. “Misinformation complicated our tasks as journalists.”
“There was a lot of pressure to generate content,” adds David Levine, an independent journalist and AHCJ member in New York, where he serves as chairman of Science Writers in New York (SWINY). At the same time, he says, evidence-based interviews often received pushback from people who wanted to hear “alternative” — and usually unscientific — views about COVID, vaccines and unproven treatments.
Tara Haelle, an independent journalist in Texas and AHCJ’s health beat leader for infectious diseases and medical studies, describes those years as, bluntly, “hell.” Despite being recognized as a subject-matter expert, she says, “I felt like Cassandra from the Greek myths: I kept telling people what would happen, but they didn’t believe me.”
In short, It was a darn difficult time to do our jobs and maintain our mental health. So while we don’t expect the next Trump administration to coincide with another pandemic, we do expect many of the same, um, shenanigans.
On the brighter side, the editor says, “I feel better prepared now. I expect that covering the new administration will be challenging and possibly chaotic at times.” That doesn’t mean he’s retreating. “I feel that health journalism remains highly relevant,” he adds. “We have work to do.”
Here’s what other health writers, including a psychologist, say they plan to do differently — or not — this time around.
Set (social) media boundaries.
Bonnie Zucker, Ph.D., a writer and clinical psychologist in LA who specializes in anxiety, understands that journalists need to be tuned into the news cycle. But they should still set limits. “You really have to balance being informed with your mental health,” she says.
For Joseph Burns, an independent journalist in Massachusetts and AHCJ’s health beat leader for health policy, that means going to the gym instead of watching “Deadline: White House” every day, something his household turned on religiously during the first Trump administration. “Now I miss most of it and the endorphins make me feel great when I get back,” he says.
Haelle, meanwhile, says she turned off all of her news notifications in 2016. “It was a fantastic decision,” she says. These days, she limits her news notifications to those from the AP.
Practice self-care, including engaging with others.
Take the time or mental space you otherwise may have been doom-scrolling to engage with hobbies, friends or community, Zucker suggests. Maybe that means joining a fiction book club, taking a fitness class or volunteering at your local garden.
Burns tries to meditate regularly to maintain his mental health and is a fan of the related 10% Happier podcast, which is hosted by the former ABC journalist Dan Harris. “Sometimes, his podcast provides incredible insight into how we can be better humans, including how we can communicate more effectively with each other, especially during times of stress,” Burns says.
Be more selective about what you cover.
During the first Trump administration, nearly every move prompted swift media coverage. And who could blame us? The guy was a shocking departure from past leaders, and Americans were eating up a lot of what the media put out.
But this time, journalists say they’re planning to be less reactive. “I hope I can adopt the mindset of not treating everything as a crisis, even if it may be,” says Liz Seegert, an independent journalist in New York and AHCJ’s health beat leader for aging. “Take a step back and be more dispassionate if possible.”
Similarly, Haelle says, “I’m taking things more slowly this time, trying to wait until ‘the thing’ (whatever it may be) happens before responding to it.”
That’s a good idea, Zucker agrees. Rather than writing — and worrying about — all the what-if scenarios surrounding, for example, various theoretical health policy changes, “take it one step at a time,” she says. While worrying, which can turn into catastrophizing, can sometimes feel productive, Zucker says, it rarely is. And it’s not conducive to your mental health.
Instead, she suggests, ask yourself: “Has this happened yet? No. Will it happen? We don’t know. Is there anything I can do about this right now? If the answer is no, then try to redirect your attention into something else.”
Keep an open mind.
For Reyna Gobel, MBA, MPH, a nutrition educator and freelance writer, the key to covering health and student loans during multiple administrations was keeping an open mind. “I’ve been pleasantly and unpleasantly surprised by various administrations. We may find things we agree on, even if there are other things we don’t,” she says.
Gobel, an AHCJ member, says it’s also important to remember that a reporter’s job is to give the public the facts and let them make their own decisions. “If we look at it as fact-finding rather than fact-knowing-already missions, the job becomes better and more fun,” she says.
Remember, your work matters
Some freelance health writers (like me) may find pitching the occasional story outside of their usual beat can be energizing. After going deep on a maternal health investigation, for instance, I love writing more light-hearted pieces on say, travel, food or drink.
But a lot of health care reporters tell me doubling down on their work in challenging environments gives them a real sense of purpose. Just don’t take the expected criticism personally. “Keep doing your job. Don’t read the comments. Know that science and truth are on your side,” Seegert advises.
And look after yourself along the way, Haelle adds. “You cannot solve all the problems of the nation by yourself, nor should you try,” she says. “Recognize that your own mental health is important and must be looked after or else you cannot be of value to anyone else.”
