Investigative journalists, who often may be targeted with harassment and threats, must remain composed in even the most difficult situations.
In Peru, 97% of reporters interviewed for the forthcoming Worlds of Journalism Study, according to the author, said that their top concern is the legal impunity enjoyed by those who harass journalists. Mental health was the second most-cited concern by the journalists interviewed in the study.
Peruvian journalist Edmundo Cruz, who has more than 30 years of investigative reporting experience, recently spoke in public for the first time about his mental health. “The effects [of investigative reporting] on a journalist’s mental health are real, are natural [...] you can’t stop yourself from being afraid — you’re a human being,” he said.
Cruz, a leader in the world of investigative journalism who reported on human rights violations committed by paramilitary groups during the Peruvian dictatorship in the 1990s, has faced everything from legal persecution (most recently in 2016) to death threats. “In terms of state of mind, journalists need to be well-grounded in order to do their work,” he said.
In recent years, Cruz has noted an uptick in the number of lawsuits brought against journalists, and the National Association of Journalists of Peru (ANP) has warned of increased legal harassment of journalists in Peru. This impacts the mental health of reporters, said Cruz: “We would have to be Superman to not feel the effects of these measures.”
In this context, five Peruvian investigative journalists who have faced legal attacks discussed how dealing with harassment has impacted their mental health. They shared about their experiences with stress, uncertainty, and more:
Defending yourself with limited resources
Mabel Cáceres, director of the digital media outlet, El Búho, in Peru’s southern region of Arequipa, has faced 16 legal complaints related to her journalism. “I once had four or five simultaneous complaints,” she said.
Most recently, Cáceres said a politician threatened her and her team with a US$300,000 lawsuit unless they “corrected” their reporting. The stress of the legal harassment is exacerbated when resources are limited and exorbitant amounts are demanded, she noted.
While some Peruvian organizations, such as the ANP, the Legal Defense Institute (IDL), and the Arbizú and Gamarra law firm have taken on defending journalists pro bono, they lack the capacity to help all journalists under attack. The ANP receives more cases of legal harassment against journalists than it can handle, for instance.
Even when journalists receive legal support, they must dedicate hours of their time to their defense. Between reporting and administrative work, Cáceres said she already works 10 hours a day — not including the time she must dedicate to legal cases brought against her and her team.
Resulting stress caused her to have problems with eating, increased her cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and impacted her sleep. “It was very difficult for me to concentrate, I didn't have the time or energy to do other things,” she said. “I didn't sleep much because the stress didn't let me.”
Cáceres said she has since improved her diet and now practices pilates three times a week to relieve stress.
Peer support for wellbeing
Christopher Acosta, head of the investigative unit at Latina Televisión in Peru, has also faced expensive lawsuits.
In 2021, a Peruvian politician sued Acosta for publishing a biography of him, demanding civil damages of more than US$26 million. “I was especially worried at the beginning. It was the first time ever that I was sued, and for an abnormally high amount,” said Acosta. Since the book was a personal project, he divided his time between his job and the legal process. “I dedicated hours of my free time [...] the lawsuit was a significant distraction from my work,” he said.
Acosta was able to handle the stress of the lawsuit because he felt supported by Peru’s journalism associations and by community members. Local entities such as the Press and Society Institute, the Gustavo Mohme Llona Foundation, the ANP and the Peruvian Press Council, as well as international organizations including the Committee to Protect Journalists, came out in support of him.
Initially, Acosta was sentenced to a two-year suspended prison term. However, under pressure, the politician dropped the lawsuit. “There is a narrative that journalists need to be tough, need to be hard. This is especially true for investigative journalists [...] and that tough exterior, that armor, does not allow those journalists to share things,” Acosta said. “Us journalists talking among ourselves helps a lot [...] you find common patterns as far as what journalists are concerned about.”
Acosta emphasized that investigative journalists’ reputation for mental fortitude does not mean they can’t ask for help. “We don't need to wear our armor when we need emotional or psychological support [...] We should open up and tell our personal stories to colleagues, to people we trust.”
The silent hero
Investigative journalist Daniel Yovera, one of the founders of Epicentro.tv, works more than 12 hours a day, dividing his time between reporting, administrative and legal defense work. For the past six years he has been dealing with legal proceedings brought against him for revealing the Catholic congregation, Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana’s alleged involvement in land trafficking.
“It's exhausting [...] I've become quite tired,” Yovera explained, admitting that he usually avoids talking about it with his colleagues because “they have their own problems.” He doesn’t talk about the stress with his friends, either, because they may not understand what a journalist goes through, nor with his family as he doesn't want to burden them. Investigative journalism, he said, forces you to put on a metaphorical suit of armor: “it's the only self-protection we have.” This armor causes journalists to keep emotions bottled up, he added.
Yovera urged investigative journalists to prioritize their mental health, to maintain healthy interpersonal relationships and better handle the challenges of the profession: “[Taking care of one's] mental health ensures that a journalist is able to face significant challenges.”
Playing sports helps Yovera de-stress. He used to go to the gym to hit a punching bag, and sometimes he gets together with friends to play soccer. In the future, he would like to go to therapy. “I would like to live with fewer worries, stresses and fears. That would make me happier,” he said.
Therapy as a key resource
In 2019, journalist Paola Ugaz appeared on the front pages of local newspapers with the headline: “The journalist with the most legal complaints filed against her this year for her investigative reporting.”
Ugaz, who also revealed abuses allegedly committed by Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana, was sued for alleged defamation and had a complaint brought against her alleging money laundering. The legal harassment has been condemned by international entities such as Amnesty International, and in 2022 Pope Francis received Ugaz at the Vatican.
The legal attacks have taken a toll, however. Smear campaigns and death threats piled on top of the harassment. “I lost 12 kilos, it affected my life greatly,” she said. Ugaz has also had trouble falling asleep and lost productivity at work. She is scheduled to undergo neurological tests to measure the impact of exposure to prolonged stress. “It got to a point where I felt like I couldn't take it anymore,” she said.
Ugaz contacted a psychologist, who helped her identify and make sense of what was happening to her. When at the end of 2023 it was uncovered that investigations against her were pressured to remain active, Ugaz was finally able to cry: “It was a good cry, a good release; the first time in all this attack that I felt I could cry.”
Ugaz recommended that fellow journalists start talking about how they feel and their mental health. She directed the advice to colleagues of her generation, in particular, who learned to practice journalism in an environment in which they were trained to repress their emotions.
“Therapy is fundamental, because your greatest asset for your work is your brain. Mental health is key for you to do your best journalism,” she said. “It has helped me a lot and will be key to my work as a journalist from now on.”
*This report is part of a special series about the mental health of journalists in Peru. The series was produced with the support of the Peruvian media outlet, La Encerrona, as part of the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, from the Universidad de la Sabana in Colombia and the Carter Center in the U.S.
The videos accompanying this reporting were created in collaboration with Leslie Moreno.
Main image via Daniel Reche on Pexels.
This article was originally published by IJNet in Spanish. It was translated to English by journalist Natalie Van Hoozer.
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