Reminder to take a break | Help Desk Monthly
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Note from the editor
It’s graduation season, so I took the opportunity to invite some former colleagues from The Kansas City Star and The Boston Globe to speak to my students at the Missouri School of Journalism. The journalists offered examples of navigating change and advice to help prepare these students who are now entering a turbulent industry.
The conversations that unfolded during these Zoom panels weren’t focused on doom and gloom, though. The journalists balanced being realistic about the stresses of doing this work with tips for how to be resilient.
“Be kind to yourself,” was the simplest and best note given. And, honestly, one I wish I had heard before starting my career.
It was a good reminder that we can’t build sustainable news operations without giving ourselves space to recharge. Being kind to ourselves, practicing self-care and stepping back to have those “touch grass” moments are necessary.
The Help Desk focuses on digital help, but this month I want to encourage you to do something that doesn’t involve a screen: take a break. These moments — even though they may be brief — are when we give ourselves the mental bandwidth to solve the next problem, outline the next experiment and cover the next big story.
Sincerely,
Leah Becerra, Product Director at News Media Help Desk
Now, some inspiration
Behind the scenes of The Maine Trust for Local News’ successful social video strategy
METLN’s newspapers cover regional and statewide news in Maine from newsrooms located in Portland, Lewiston, Waterville and Augusta. Here’s a look at how the organization got started with social video.Deep research: What it is and how it can be a journalist’s AI secret weapon
Deep research is an AI mode that prioritizes thoroughness over speed. It’s meant for getting into the weeds on complicated topics, where the output usually goes far beyond a simple, straightforward answer.Technical.ly welcomed AI bot traffic instead of blocking it, and gained subscribers
Technical.ly, a national network of regional newsrooms covering the local effects of technology startups and the economies they create, decided to optimize for AI in ways that could help them reach new audiences.Getting started with AI monitoring tool Known Agents: A guide for news publishers.
Deciding what AI bot to block or allow starts with understanding the consequences of those decisions and aligning those bot behaviors with your audience strategies. One way to do this is to use an AI monitoring tool like Known Agents.Getting started with scenario planning: A guide for newsrooms
Scenario planning can highlight strengths and weaknesses as organizations think through how they can solve the most imminent risks.A newsroom’s guide to getting started with Parse.ly
Parse.ly’s easy-to-use dashboards show editorial teams where their readers are coming from and what content they engage with — critical insights for deciding what to cover and where to share it.Other resources worth your time
The Media Resilience Network (MDRnet) 2026
This initiative by Vita Activa is designed to support the emotional, mental and organizational health of journalists and media leaders in a rapidly changing world.Learn more about MDRNet in this Press Forward article.
IJNet Mental Health and Journalism toolkit
This toolkit from the International Journalists’ Network is packed with resources that address stress, trauma and other mental health issues journalists face.Explore the resources at ijnet.org.
Further reading and resources for dealing with stress and overwhelm:
The 24-second news cycle is exhausting journalists. Here’s how they cope. via Poynter
From meditation to muting notifications, reporters share the habits that help them stay informed without burning out. (Read the article 🔗)
Signs you’re dangerously overwhelmed as a freelancer — and what to do about it via Association of Health Care Journalists
Being a journalist comes with stress, but when it’s prolonged stress, like a constant low-level dread about the state of the industry or world, it can be destructive. (Learn more 🔗)
What does peer support in journalism look like: Insights from U.S. and international experts via Source
Establishing a peer support network or becoming a peer supporter is not as complicated as it may sound. (Learn more 🔗)
The risks and rewards of being open about your mental health at work via Quartz
How to address your own burnout and take care of yourself at work. (Read the article 🔗)
Looking ahead 👀
Let us know if there’s a tool you love that we should look into or if your newsroom would be a good case study for a tool or strategy that’s working.
Have a digital issue you need help navigating? We’d love to give you some support. Send us an email.
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