Category: Posts
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Leadership, Identity, Mental Health, Well-Being and a Guantanamera…
At MDRnet we are very agradecidas to have been part of the NAHJ26 in New Orleans. Here is a summary of what we learned. Part ONE: Management, Empathy and Latina Leadership During the panel, Jahna Berry – Mother Jones, Antonieta Cadiz – Climate Power en Acción, Peniley Ramírez – Futuro Media and our Luisa Ortiz…
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Building Communities of Care for Journalists in Minneapolis
At the Media Resilience Network -MDRnet-, we believe that caring for journalists is essential to protecting journalism. Reporters and media workers routinely cover conflict, disasters, migration, political violence, and other crises while carrying the emotional weight of the stories they tell. MDRnet builds trauma-informed, peer-centered support systems that combine research, community care, and practical tools. …
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What is NINA?
NINA is an AI-assisted conversational triage system that helps guide MDRnet users toward the support and resources they need in a clear and efficient way. Its role is to handle first contact, understand users’ situations, and orient them toward the most appropriate type of support within MDRnet. It does not replace people. Its purpose is…
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Bay Area gathering for the journalism community
Journalism, Storytelling, and Collective Care: A Three-Day Program at Stanford University May 26–28, 2026 | The Nitery Theater Journalists are trained to witness the world’s crises. Far less attention is given to what happens after the story is filed. This May, Media Resilience Network (MDRnet) and Vita Activa will host a three-day program at The…
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Impact of AI on mental health helplines
The helpline run by Vita Activa, our parent organization, was inundated last September with far more requests for help than it usually handles. But what originally seemed like normal growth quickly escalated into calls for help outside Vita Activa’s scope of work. Once the dust settled, an investigation into the massive spike in calls for…
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What are we facing emotionally when we travel?
Travel notes – MDRnet.org Journalists traveling to cover sensitive topics face several significant emotional challenges, ranging from the psychological weight of the stories they tell to the stress of operating in high-risk environments. Vicarious and Secondary Trauma When journalists “cross borders” to report on displaced populations, they are often “carrying trauma” alongside those they interview.…
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From Launch to Liftoff
Building a Culture of Care for Journalists We officially launched the Media Resilience Network, and we’re still holding the energy from that room. We are so grateful to the Miami Foundation for their generous hosting. Twenty-five people joined us to mark this beginning — a gathering that reflected the breath and diversity of the U.S. media…
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Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 20th, 2026 New National Survey Finds Widespread Burnout and Economic Insecurity Driving Mental Health Crisis in U.S. Journalism More than 80% of journalists report burnout or chronic stress; cost, workload, and lack of culturally competent care cited as primary barriers to support United States — A new national survey to be…
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From Crisis to Care
What Journalists Told Us About Mental Health in the U.S. Journalism is essential to democracy—but the people who produce the news are under extraordinary strain. In 2025, the Media Resilience Network (MDRnet) launched Stay Tuned: A U.S. Journalism Mental Health Survey to better understand how journalists across the country are experiencing their work, their well-being,…
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The Journalism Resilience Program
MDRnet.org, powered by Vita-Activa.org, is launching its first certification and recruitment process for bilingual coaches and counselors. This program is designed to prepare bilingual (english/spanish) professionals to support journalists in moments of crisis with empathy, clarity, and professional care. Over the course of five session, participants will learn how to recognize signs of distress, respond…