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You're with the journalistic team from the local news channel covering a fire in a downtown high rise apartment complex. Like all the other media on location, you've got one eye on your camera crew while the other scans the crowd for a story in the making.

Someone in the crowd yells out to no one in particular, "Hey, see that lady over there crying? Her kid's inside that building!"

Man, you can feel the adrenaline pumping as you elbow your way through the crowd. This may be just the story you want. Do you think, however, that just shoving a microphone in the frightened mother's face is the way to go about getting it?

"Ma'am, I understand your daughter may be trapped inside. What goes through the mind of a parent at a time like this? Would you care to comment?"

Stop Tape. Take a step back. If you have any compassion at all, you will seriously think about how you plan to interview any victim of a traumatic event.

An individual who is suffering as the result of a critical incident is at risk for acute stress. Whether or not such a person is able to recover and move on with life within six months to a year of the trauma depends a lot upon what happens in the first twenty-four hours after the traumatic event. As a journalist, you can either play a role in offering compassion and comfort to a victim, or add further suffering and be the catalyst for secondary trauma; either way, you'll get your story.

Let's be pragmatic for a moment. You are a journalist. You don't want to be insensitive, but you do have a job to do. You want to get the facts and share a story that will engage your audience. The place to start, however, isn't by pummeling a victim with questions, especially questions that will prematurely force the individual to face the full impact of the unfolding event.

So, how do you approach with sensitivity? The best way is to begin with a verbal affirmation that demonstrates your awareness of how much pain the victim might be in. Your first words should sound something like this:

"Ma'am, I'm Deborah with Channel Nine News. I can't begin to imagine how incredibly difficult this must be for you. I'm sure that there are many folks out here tonight that would like to offer their support by sending some kind thoughts, perhaps even prayers, your way."

By validating your awareness of the victim's emotional pain, you can begin to pave the way for an unsolicited story to unfold; one that will be shared spontaneously and in response to your kindness. Identifying

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