The impact on mental health from reporting on Ukraine war - BBC Trending podcast, BBC World Service

Key Concepts

• Disinformation warfare
• Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)
• Fact-checking
• Burnout
• Resilience
• Online harassment
• Geolocating
• Coping mechanisms
• Mental health in conflict zones

Russia's Information War Against Ukraine

• Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine is accompanied by a digital war of disinformation aimed at undermining Ukrainian resolve.
• Ukrainian official sources have faced some criticism for misleading statements, but Russia's disinformation campaigns are far more pervasive.
• Olga Jurkova, co-founder of Stop Fake, notes that the scale of blatant fakes spread by Russian media in 2014 was a shock to Ukrainians.
• Stop Fake was founded to counter Kremlin propaganda and promote media literacy among Ukrainians.
• A key example of Russian disinformation is the fabricated story of a three-year-old boy being crucified by Ukrainian soldiers in Slovyansk.

Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) and Fact-Checking Efforts

• OSINT, or Open Source Intelligence, involves investigating publicly available information, especially on social media platforms like X, TikTok, and Telegram.
• OSINT and fact-checking are crucial for building a clearer picture of the battlefield situation for journalists, politicians, and ordinary users.
• DeepState, run by Roman and Ruslan, is a prominent OSINT project with over 800,000 followers on Telegram, providing granular updates on the war using an interactive map of the frontline.
• DeepState openly cooperates with Ukraine's Defence Ministry but sometimes their analysis conflicts with official accounts from both Moscow and Kyiv.
• Andrew Perpetua, based in New York, runs Ukraine Daily Update, focusing on geolocating footage from various sources to provide information to the public.

The Human Cost: Burnout and Mental Health

• Olga Robinson, from BBC Trending, highlights the burnout faced by open-source investigators and fact-checkers covering Ukraine.
• Olga Jurkova admits to constantly feeling on the edge of burnout and emphasizes the importance of routine and distractions like walks, baths, and cooking.
• Professor Anthony Feinstein, a psychiatrist, stresses the necessity of respite to build resilience, including activities like relaxing baths, walks, and building relationships.
• Online harassment and trolling are significant challenges, especially for female journalists and fact-checkers, with studies showing a higher prevalence of abusive comments against women in Ukraine.
• Professor Feinstein notes that online harassment is a relatively new challenge compared to past conflicts like the Balkans or Vietnam.

Coping Mechanisms and Resilience

• Olga Jurkova finds that cooking, especially making shakshuka, helps her disconnect and recover.
• DeepState founders, Roman and Ruslan, feel they cannot complain about burnout compared to those on the front lines.
• DeepState copes with graphic material by focusing on their work and using trips to the East (front line) to recharge by connecting with people.
• Andrew Perpetua and his team use dark humor and music, including AI-generated songs about war-related topics, as coping mechanisms.
• Professor Feinstein emphasizes that strong relationships are the biggest protective factor against mental health difficulties.

The Relentless Nature of the Work

• Roman from DeepState describes their work as 24/7, dedicating their entire lives to the project and the war effort.
• Andrew Perpetua wakes up at 2 am to process hundreds of channels and videos, working until 6 pm and repeating the same routine daily.
• Andrew feels unable to take a proper day off due to the overwhelming amount of work required to catch up.
• His team processes an average of 260 videos per day, each requiring at least 5 minutes of work.

Personal Impact and Determination

• Andrew Perpetua acknowledges that the long hours have affected his physical health, particularly due to prolonged sitting.
• He finds the deaths of friends in combat and the mental state of survivors particularly heartbreaking.
• Despite the challenges, interviewees express a determination to continue their work.
• Roman from DeepState states that the only choices are to give up or turn anger into work and revenge.
• The interviewees feel they cannot afford to stop, regardless of the difficulties and uncertainties.

Conclusion

The individuals dedicated to fact-checking, OSINT, and reporting on the war in Ukraine face immense challenges, including burnout, online harassment, and exposure to distressing content. They employ various coping mechanisms, such as routine, distractions, dark humor, and strong relationships, to maintain their resilience. Despite the personal toll, their determination to continue their work stems from a deep sense of responsibility and a commitment to countering disinformation and supporting the Ukrainian cause.