KU professor can comment on journalists and dangerous situations in wake of Virginia reporters' shooting

LAWRENCE — Barbara Barnett, associate professor of journalism at the University of Kansas, is available to speak with media about the shooting of a television reporter and videographer Wednesday in Roanoke, Virginia. Alison Parker and Adam Ward of WDBJ7 were conducting an interview when several shots were fired. The incident was caught on camera, and Vicki Gardner — who was being interviewed — was hospitalized as well. The shooter, Vester Lee Flanagan II, later took his own life.

Barnett has conducted research on post traumatic stress disorder and journalists who cover violence and dangerous situations. She can discuss the incident, how trauma can affect journalists specifically and the effects of violence on the profession.

“Journalists have sometimes been called the 'first responders' in disasters. They are the people who head toward dangerous situations, who cover natural disasters, mass shootings and combat,” Barnett said. “But in this case, the journalists who were killed weren't going into harm's way. They were not covering a violent event; they became victims in a violent event. This was unexpected, and the colleagues who worked with these reporters, as well as their families and loved ones, will struggle to make sense of how this could happen in what was supposed to be a peaceful setting. Sadly, shootings are too common in the United States.”

In 2013, Barnett presented her research in journalism and post traumatic stress disorder to the U.S. State Department in Vienna, Austria. She has also studied how the disorder is presented in the media and has co-led KU’s Media and the Military program, which works to bring media and the military to mutual understanding.

To schedule an interview, contact Mike Krings at 785-864-8860 or mkrings@ku.edu.