Reporters Can't Let Trauma Stop Them

One North Carolina reporter is still haunted by the horror of rapes and murders she witnessed every day. But her empathy also made her a better reporter, and that’s worth it, Melissa Manware writes in Quill. When readers, particularly former victims, responded to stories, it made “the work worth the heartache.” But Manware is still tormented by the ringing phone of a cyclist killed by a city bus.

"A reporter who really cares about a story, who is emotionally touched by a story, will almost always do a better job of telling it," Manware writes. "The stories I wrote were worth the sad memories that sometimes keep me awake at night. They were worth the tears I shed after deadline, because they made a difference." (More reporting stories.)