VOA | Online Article | Freelance Network Emphasizes Need to Support Journalists on Tough Beats

WASHINGTON —

“The tiniest hole in the dam can make the whole thing explode, and that's what happens with trauma,” says British-Iranian journalist Sahar Zand.

With a childhood that included being smuggled across borders as her family tried to escape political persecution, Zand thought she had developed all the coping mechanisms she would need in her career.

The award-winning journalist has worked on stories in some of the most dangerous countries in the world, including Afghanistan where, on assignment in 2015, she witnessed a suicide attack.

Despite feeling fear initially, Zand says she didn’t think she would be affected in the long-term.

“It wasn't until I came back and we were toward the end of post-production that suddenly I couldn't sleep. I couldn't wake up. I couldn't concentrate. I kept having fights. I never fight,” Zand told VOA. When an editor at the BBC asked if she was okay, she burst into tears.

As a freelancer Zand had limited options for help, and in a profession that values strength and fearlessness, she said that it can be challenging to express vulnerability.