Headlines Network — A UK Journalism-Adjacent Organisation UK JournoHub Recommends
Headlines Network is a UK charity supporting the mental health of people working in media. UK JournoHub highlights their work because trauma exposure, harassment, and burnout are routine hazards of the job — and too few journalists know where to turn when the pressure builds.
Peer support, a directory of media-aware therapists, and resources on trauma exposure and online abuse exist so that journalists do not have to explain the industry context before getting help that actually fits their working life.
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Why UK JournoHub Features Headlines Network
Journalism is one of the few professions where routine tasks — watching graphic footage, sitting with grieving families, reading through a torrent of abusive replies — are treated as simply part of the job. The industry has become better at naming these hazards, but support that actually understands the job remains hard to find.
Headlines Network fills that gap directly. Rather than offering generic wellbeing advice, they connect media workers with peers who understand the pressures of the newsroom and with therapists who are specifically aware of what trauma exposure and online abuse look like in a media context. That specificity matters: a journalist explaining doorstepping, court reporting restrictions, or a pile-on on social media to a therapist who has never encountered these situations loses time and energy that could go toward actually getting better.
We feature Headlines Network because their peer support model and therapist directory address a real, persistent gap in newsroom welfare provision — one that UK JournoHub's own safety and ethics guides can point to, but cannot replace.
What Headlines Network Does
Headlines Network is a UK charity supporting the mental health of people working in media. Their core offer combines peer connection, professional referral, and public-facing education, aimed squarely at journalists, photographers, editors, and other media workers.
Peer Support
Connecting media workers with others who understand the specific pressures of the job, so support conversations do not have to start with explaining the industry.
Therapist Directory
A directory of therapists who are media-aware, meaning they understand trauma exposure, harassment, and the working culture of newsrooms, without journalists needing to translate their experience first.
Trauma Resources
Published resources on recognising and managing the effects of repeated exposure to distressing material, aimed at both individual journalists and newsroom managers.
Online Abuse Resources
Guidance addressing the specific mental health impact of online abuse and harassment directed at journalists, a hazard that has grown substantially with social media reporting.
Why Journalists and Editors Should Know About Headlines Network
Mental health support is not a fringe concern for working journalists — it is a professional competency issue. Reporters who are burnt out, under-supported, or carrying unprocessed trauma make worse editorial judgements, and newsrooms that ignore this reality lose experienced staff. Headlines Network is directly relevant in several situations that arise across UK newsrooms:
- ›After covering traumatic events
Reporters and photographers who have covered disasters, violent crime, inquests, or other distressing stories can carry the effects long after the story has been filed. Knowing where to turn afterwards matters as much as knowing how to cover the story in the first place.
- ›Facing sustained online abuse
Journalists — particularly women, journalists of colour, and those covering contentious beats — routinely face targeted harassment online. Headlines Network resources address the mental health impact of this abuse specifically, rather than treating it as a generic safety issue.
- ›Newsroom management responsibility
Editors and news desk managers who assign difficult stories have a duty of care to the staff and freelancers they task with covering them. Knowing that a resource like Headlines Network exists — and signposting it proactively — is part of that responsibility.
- ›Freelance and isolated working
Freelancers often lack the in-house welfare structures of staff newsrooms. Peer support and an external therapist directory can matter even more for journalists working without an employer safety net.
How Journalists and Editors Can Engage with Headlines Network
Access peer support
If you want to talk to someone who understands the pressures of media work without explaining the industry first, Headlines Network peer support is the starting point.
Headlines Network hub→Find a media-aware therapist
Use the therapist directory to find professional support from clinicians who understand trauma exposure and harassment in a media context.
Therapist directory→Read the trauma and abuse resources
Whether you have just come back from a difficult assignment or are dealing with an abusive social media pile-on, the published resources are a useful first stop.
Resources→Share it with your newsroom
Editors and news desk managers can point staff and freelancers toward Headlines Network as part of a wider duty of care, particularly after assigning difficult stories.
Headlines Network homepage→Notable Areas of Headlines Network's Work
Trauma exposure. Repeated exposure to distressing footage, testimony, and imagery is one of the least discussed occupational hazards of journalism. Headlines Network resources help media workers recognise the signs of cumulative trauma exposure and understand when and how to seek support.
Online abuse. Targeted harassment campaigns against journalists have become a routine part of covering contentious stories. Headlines Network addresses the specific mental health toll of this abuse, distinct from the physical and digital security concerns covered elsewhere.
Peer connection. Isolation compounds the effects of a difficult assignment. By connecting media workers with peers who understand the industry, Headlines Network reduces the barrier to seeking support in the first place.
Headlines Network Resources for Journalists
The resources below are published directly on the Headlines Network hub. Follow the links to their website for current detail.
Related Guides on UK JournoHub
Visit Headlines Network
Everything on this page is drawn from Headlines Network's own website. For peer support, the therapist directory, and trauma resources, go directly to hub.headlines-network.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Headlines Network?
Is UK JournoHub partnered with Headlines Network?
Does Headlines Network regulate the press?
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How can UK journalists benefit from Headlines Network?
What is peer support, and how is it different from therapy?
More on journalist safety and wellbeing
Explore UK JournoHub's safety guides, ethics resources, and newsroom tools.