How was your day?
Get it off your chest.
Reporters, photographers, camera operators, editors, producers, presenters and freelancers. Put down what you're carrying before you file your last thing.
Which best describes you?
This changes a few questions and which support lines come first. You can change it any time.
Everything you enter stays on this phone. Nothing is sent to your employer, your editor or anyone else. Unladen Press is a prototype. It is not a medical or emergency service and is not connected to any media organisation or government agency. · Give feedback
Take a moment.
Step away from the screen or the scene if you can. Tell your editor you need a few minutes. That's allowed.
Breathe with this
What you might be feeling
- Shaky, sick, or a racing heart
- Numb, or oddly calm
- Tearful, angry, or both
- Going over what you could have done differently
These are normal reactions. They usually settle over hours or days.
If someone threatened you
It isn't part of the job. Tell your editor, save the evidence, and contact police if you're worried for your safety.
Ground yourself
Look around. Name them, out loud or in your head.
Call someone now
Add your editor, a colleague or your EAP in so they're here when you need them.
Not sure who to tell?
If you don't feel safe telling your editor or manager, there are other people you can go to. Or write down what happened, just for you, while it's fresh.
What helps after
Handover to yourself
A few minutes at the end of the day. Notice what you're carrying, then leave what you can in the newsroom.
Please talk to someone now
You said you've had thoughts of harming yourself or not wanting to be here. Please call one of these now. If you're in immediate danger, call 000.
Light load
This phone isn't letting the page save. Your result shows here but won't be kept.
About the abuse or threats
Tell your editor and save the evidence. The eSafety Commissioner takes reports of serious online abuse, and police can act on threats. MEAA can support you.
Your safety
You said you didn't feel fully safe. That matters. Tell your editor, and ask for a risk assessment before going back to dangerous scenes.
Getting home safely
You said you've got very little energy left. If you're driving, a 15 to 20 minute nap before you leave can help, or get a lift. Text someone when you're home.
What might help
People you can call
This isn't a medical assessment. It's a way to notice how you're going over time.
How it's been going
Last 14 days
Handovers
This phone isn't letting the page save, so handovers won't be kept.
Privacy & your data
Add a PIN, download what you've entered, or delete everything from this phone.
Bearing witness takes something out of you
What to watch for, and what helps. Tap a heading to open it.
Covering death, disaster and crime
Journalists and crews are often first on the scene after crashes, fires, floods and crimes, and keep going back.
- Shock, replaying it, trouble sleeping and feeling numb are normal reactions.
- Debrief with your editor or a colleague. Ask for one if it is not offered.
- Dart Centre Asia Pacific has trauma resources made for news workers.
- If it's still strong after a couple of weeks, see your GP or EAP.
Graphic images and footage
- Make the window smaller and turn the sound off when you can.
- Don't watch more than you need to, and don't rewatch it to check.
- Take breaks between clips.
- Ask for rotation if you are always the one who reviews this material.
Interviewing grieving or traumatised people
- Carrying other people's worst days is heavy, even when you did it with care.
- Notice which stories stay with you.
- Talk to someone after the hard ones.
Online abuse and threats
- Don't engage. Screenshot it and tell your editor.
- The eSafety Commissioner takes reports of serious online abuse.
- Threats to your safety: contact police.
- MEAA (1300 656 513) can support you.
Legal threats and complaints
- Tell your editor straight away and let your legal team handle it.
- A legal letter doesn't mean you did something wrong.
- Freelancers: MEAA can advise members.
Pressure to change a story
- Write down what you were asked to change, when, and by whom.
- MEAA's Journalist Code of Ethics can help you frame your concerns.
- Talk it through with someone you trust outside the newsroom.
Job cuts and insecurity
- Newsroom cuts are unsettling, even when your own job is safe.
- MEAA can explain your rights.
- It's normal to grieve colleagues and outlets that close.
Bullying, harassment or conflict
You don't have to put up with it, and you don't have to sort it out alone.
- Write down what happened, with dates, while it's fresh.
- If your manager is involved, talk to someone outside your reporting line.
- The Fair Work Commission can make orders to stop bullying at work.
- For sexual harassment, 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) is there 24/7.
Signs you're carrying too much
- Dreading the next shift or story
- Feeling numb, or cynical
- Images or stories coming back
- Drinking more to switch off
- Pulling back from people
Repeated exposure to trauma affects everyone. It's a normal response, not a weakness.
Freelancers and regional journalists
If you work alone or freelance, you may have no one to debrief with. Set it up yourself: a colleague you trust, a counsellor, or MEAA.
When to get more help
If your load has been heavy for two weeks or more, you dread going in, or it's affecting sleep or home life, talk to your GP or EAP. A GP can set up a Mental Health Treatment Plan for Medicare-subsidised sessions with a psychologist.
People to call
Save the ones that apply to you. They stay on this phone and show up on the Help now screen.
Support lines
You don't have to go through your editor
Sometimes the person you'd normally tell is part of the problem, or it just doesn't feel safe. Here are other ways to get support. You choose what to do, and when.
From your organisation
Your newsroom can add its own EAP, peer support and safety contacts here.
Someone outside your reporting line
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Free, confidential counselling. Your manager isn't told that you called. Most media organisations have one.
- MEAA. The union for journalists and media workers, 1300 656 513.
- Dart Centre Asia Pacific. Trauma resources and training made for news workers.
- A colleague at another outlet. Someone who has been there.
- Your GP. Outside work altogether, and can refer you on.
Text or chat instead of calling
For when talking out loud isn't possible, or feels like too much.
For particular situations
Online abuse that targets you for your work can be reported to the eSafety Commissioner.
Spiritual and religious support
Some people find strength in prayer, ritual or their faith or cultural community after a hard day. Others find it in nature, music, exercise or quiet. Whatever gives you meaning counts.
If your workplace has a chaplain or wellbeing officer, they support people of any faith or none. Their role is to listen, not to persuade.
Words to start with
The first sentence is often the hardest. You could say:
"I'm not ready to make a complaint. I just need to talk this through."
"Can this stay between us? Is there anything you'd have to pass on?"
"A story I covered has stayed with me."
"I've been getting threats and I need help."
What happens if I tell someone?
- Counsellors, peer supporters and helplines keep what you say private. The main exception is if someone is at serious risk of harm. If you're unsure, ask at the start.
- A union can give you confidential advice before you decide anything.
- Your editor can change your round or assignments if you ask. You don't have to explain every detail.
- Your private record in this app stays on your phone unless you choose to share it.
Not ready to tell anyone?
That's OK. You can write down what happened, just for yourself, and decide later.
Numbers and services are for New South Wales and Australia-wide. Check with your organisation for its own services.
Write down what happened
It stays on this phone. It isn't a report, and nothing is sent anywhere. If you later decide to raise something, notes written at the time are easier to rely on than memory.
My entries
Entries can't be edited, so each one shows when it was written. To add something, write a new entry.
No entries yet.
If you decide to share it, you can download it or send it to yourself.
Your phone, your data
PIN lock
Ask for a PIN when the app opens, and after it has been in the background for a minute.
PIN is on.
The PIN stops someone else opening the app on your phone. It doesn't encrypt what's stored, so keep your phone locked too. If you forget it, you can delete everything and start again.
Hide the screen
Tap the eye button at the top of any screen to cover the app straight away, for example in the newsroom or on the way home. Tap to come back, or enter your PIN if you've set one.
Download my data
Download everything you've entered (handovers, private record and contacts) as a text file. You could keep a copy, or show it to your GP or counsellor.
Delete everything
Deletes your handovers, private record, role, contacts and PIN from this phone.
Delete everything from this phone? This can't be undone.
About Unladen Press
Unladen™ Press is a prototype made by Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd, Newcastle NSW. Unladen™ is a trade mark of Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd. It isn't a medical or emergency service, and it isn't connected to any media organisation or government agency. The questions haven't been clinically validated yet.
What's stored: your role, handovers, private record, saved contacts and settings, only in this phone's browser. Nothing is sent to anyone. There are no accounts, analytics or trackers.
Feedback: the feedback form is the only part of Unladen Press that sends anything, and only when you press Send. It doesn't include anything else from the app.
Keep in mind: if you clear your browser data or remove the app, what you've entered goes too. Download a copy first if you want to keep it.
Version 0.1 prototype · September 2026