The Significance of Mental Health in Journalism
/by Viktoria Wulff-Andersen
Remembrances from my first article adorn my room. The pile of weathered notebooks paints the picture of the first person I ever interviewed: a fifteen-year-old boy teetering with excitement from his flight. The hung press pass serves as a reminder of the Education First internship that awarded me the opportunity to join the world of journalism. The framed article that originally appeared in my high school’s main office emphasizes just how far-reaching the impact of my journalism is.
I’m under no impression that I’m the Jacob Riis or Robert Fisk of my community; I write features rather than exposés about societal corruption. Still, through witnessing the smiles my work has produced and the eagerness in someone’s eyes as they pitch a topic to me, I recognize that I have become a pulpit for civilian voices within my community.
I’ll admit it: I never understood the significance behind that role until I became the subject of my work. It was around Christmas time of my junior year, and I had been discharged from eating-disorder treatment just a couple months prior. All I could think about was how I would soon be surrounded by festivities and food. Instead of letting my anxiety overwhelm me, I decided to do what I do best: write an article, one meant to bring awareness to those struggling like me by revealing my secret struggle. When “How to Survive the Holidays With an Eating Disorder” was published, I felt relieved of the weight on my shoulders. My story was finally being heard. Is this what others felt like when they read my work?
When I read “Unrecognized Vulnerabilities” by Jane Pauley, I finally got my answer.
The article’s vivid insight about Pauley’s thoughts and criticism of the expectation for mental normalcy prompted me to literally lean into my screen, entranced in a state of belonging. I resonated with her words despite our dissimilar diagnoses. Thumbing through her article in my room was like questioning existence with my best friend by my side. Why am I the way I am? Should I blame my mental state on family history? My environment? How do I cope when my brain seems to be moving in the opposite direction of Earth’s revolution?
Perhaps I was most drawn to Pauley out of all 125 inductees because despite these same questions looming over her head, she still pushed forward to become one of the most grounded and respected journalists in the industry. Prior to being admitted into the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame in 2016, Pauley achieved numerous accolades within her occupational life.
She was the first woman to anchor the evening newscast at WISH-TV, considered to be one of the largest television networks in the nation. She was a co-host on the Today show, traveling across the globe to interview prominent leaders like Princess Diana and Pope Jon-Paul II. She was the first co-host on Dateline, was the star of the Jane Pauley Show, and is still leading CBS News Sunday Morning in today’s shifting press climate.
“she chose to broadcast and orate her struggles, paving the way for others who similarly suffered to speak out about their issues and recognize themselves on television”
Pauley was riding the wave of success while still enduring mental health issues, not knowing the name of her struggles until she was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in 2000. Even then, she could have chosen to remain quiet about her struggles, to avoid drawing attention to herself during an era where mental health disorders still held a lot of stigma. She didn’t.
Instead, she chose to broadcast and orate her struggles, paving the way for others who similarly suffered to speak out about their issues and recognize themselves on television. Pauley proved that mental illness doesn’t prevent you from being as intelligent, diligent, and passionate as your neurotypical and non-suffering peers. Pauley’s work destigmatized talking about mental health in a way that affected the lives of thousands of readers and viewers.
Publishing “How to Survive the Holidays With an Eating Disorder” allowed me to see that journalism was more than just a hobby. Journalism was a way for me to bring press accessibility to my city’s streets in interviewing those overlooked by adult journalists. I shifted my focus from highlighting extracurriculars to analyzing voices on issues like Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ+ rights, and conflicts threatening civilian security. I focused on highlighting voices instead of establishments. I used the memories of isolation and trauma from my battles with depression, anxiety, and anorexia, coupled with the metaphorical welcoming embraces of treatment, to motivate me to reach out and inspire others through my articles. I began to be featured beyond my city’s borders to New England as a whole, so I became more than a student wishing to make a change.
I became a teller of untold stories.
Jane Pauley has allowed me to recognize that this chapter of my life isn’t over. Critical issues and perspectives that challenge societal subjugation can continue to be brought to the forefront of conversation as I continue pursuing reportage in university, internships, and my future career as a Political Science correspondent, drawing from my personal experience and vulnerability as the coveted journalist and 2016 Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame inductee does.
Viktoria Wulff-Andersen is a 17-year-old student and journalist from Danbury. She is this year’s Eileen Kraus Scholarship Awardee for the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame. Her winning essay highlighted Jane Pauley, one of America’s most respected journalists, who has blazed new trails throughout a broadcast career spanning more than four decades.
The 28th annual Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Leaders for Social Change, will be held on September 29, honoring Teresa Younger, Kita Matos and Jerimarie Liesegang. More information at www.cwhf.org/.
At Danbury High School, Viktoria was a model student, standing as salutatorian and the resident of the National English Honor Society, National Math Honor Society, Model UN, and Video Production Club. Outside of school, she served as an educational ambassador for AMBYESE and an alumni board member for the International Youth Volunteer Corps. Her passion for leadership and writing has allowed her to be published in over 10 different news sources (including the YRIS) and she was the editor-in-chief of her school's newspaper, literary journal, and yearbook. She plans to study Political Science with a certificate in Journalism at Duke University, on her path to becoming a criminal defense attorney and freelance journalist.
