Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: The Mess Media’s Role in Israel’s Post-Oct. 7 PTSD Problem
As I wrote last week (https://israelseen.com/prof-sam-lehman-wilzig-the-silent-oct-7-disaster-epigenetics/), Israel’s post-war PTSD problem involves civilians and not just combatants – and the dysfunction will fester for at least the next two generations as well. This makes it incumbent for Israeli society to do (and also NOT do) everything to reduce the negative psychological and physical effects of the war. Some science-based suggestions are in order.
In the aftermath of Oct. 7, a steep increase in PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) symptoms has been found in all segments of Israeli society. Within the first three months alone, research found nearly triple the pre-war rates of PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Subsequently, two years of war (the longest in Israel’s history) only widened the PTSD scope, especially among the broader civilian population.
One of the main factors in this – above and beyond the disturbing hostage situation – was the media. I am not one of the proponents of media-bashing; in most cases, they are doing their job of reflecting reality, notwithstanding inevitable slanting or over-sensationalizing. However, in this specific (long-running) case, the media significantly contributed to Israel’s PTSD phenomenon – and thus they should be part of ongoing attempts to ameliorate the problem. Of course, this isn’t exclusively a problem in Israel; research studies around the world have come to the same conclusion: (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8656276/).
Although soldiers tend to have the worst PTSD symptoms, the number of civilians suffering from this is far greater, especially among certain emotionally vulnerable groups: those who faced the brunt of Hamas’s violence, soldiers’ families, children, minorities, and others who lost their homes. In short, this is a society-wide issue that has to be dealt with now in order not to have significant lingering effects for generations (yes, generations; again, see my post last week).
What can be done – or rather, what not to do? Research around the world clearly shows that excessive, overly graphic, or repetitive media exposure to what happened in the past sharply increases PTSD risk. Today’s media – legacy papers/stations as well as new/social media platforms – present instant photos and videos depicting the horrors of attacks, often unfiltered and in real time. No less harmful is the constant repetition of such horrors, and the ensuing news regurgitation of the trauma in several ways.
Israeli media have been particularly egregious in this over the past two years, through constant interviews with the victims or families of the deceased and hostages – and this continues post-war. Yes, it is the media’s duty to report any news regarding the situation: developments regarding negotiations for hostage release, social welfare measures taken to treat PTSD, government subsidies for relocated victims, etc. However, what was (and is) the purpose of interviewing families of hostages over and over again? Perhaps (although I doubt it) this had some therapeutic effect for family members, but certainly was counterproductive for Israeli society in general, having to repeatedly face (literally in their face) the trauma.
Studies have shown that the more time viewers spend watching news or footage of the October 7 attack and its aftermath, the higher their risk of PTSD symptoms – even if they were not physically present during the events. Especially egregious in this respect were (continue to be) social media sites that share and repost violent or traumatic content, thus amplifying the trauma and creating a cycle of vicarious and “secondary traumatization.” One doesn’t have to have a diploma in psychotherapy to understand that constant repetition of attack scenes, victims’ anguish, and pictures of destruction, all keep trauma overly vivid, especially for anyone struggling to regain a sense of normalcy and personal safety. At the least, any such presentations should be accompanied by trigger warnings, as presenting such explicit content without forewarning leaves viewers unprepared; this increases the shock, particularly for those with a previous history of trauma.
Here are some practical suggestions – first for each of us individually and then for the media as a whole.
What you should do personally:
* Limit your exposure: Reduce the time you spend watching or scrolling through traumatic content.
* Avoid raw footage: Stay away from uncensored videos or images depicting violence, death, or personal suffering – these are linked to higher rates of harmful memories and psychological distress.
* Don’t reshare trauma: Even if your intentions are good (e.g., showing the world what Hamas did), re-posting horrific footage also enlarges the circle of trauma.
* Use trusted news sources: Try to rely on established news outlets that provide accurate, contextualized, and especially curated reports that respect not only the trauma victims’ dignity but also understand the general harm caused by overly graphic horrors.
* Limit news at home: This is useful for parents, but it’s especially important to restrict children’s exposure to violent news – and when that’s unavoidable, discuss traumatic events with the kids in an age-appropriate way.
What the media should and should not do:
* Don’t interview survivors at length even if they seem willing to talk about their experience. They can’t understand how this could reinforce their sense of vulnerability. Certainly, journalists should not pressure survivors for detailed public accounts in the name of “the public’s right to know.”
* Don’t rehash violence i.e., avoid “looping” the most graphic scenes; focus on context, solutions, and PTSD recovery stories instead.
* Offer prominent warnings regarding explicit, violent content.
* Provide news balance, highlighting stories of recovery, resilience, and societal support, to weaken feelings of helplessness.
All these recommendations are based on real research conducted in post-2023 Israel (and elsewhere). For instance, one major Israeli study (https://journals.plos.org/mentalhealth/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pmen.0000195) found that the more people consumed and shared trauma-saturated media, the greater the likelihood that they would then suffer constant anxiety, poor sleep, a depressed mood, and eventual PTSD. On the other hand, survivors who withdrew from media (also seeking early professional help while keeping to routines), tended to recover more quickly.
In short: endless images, interviews, and non-real-news commentary can function as a secondary trauma mechanism, spreading PTSD even into homes far removed from the initial traumatic events. Individuals and media professionals have a crucial role in this; healing is not just a matter of therapy but also through the stories we choose to consume – and perhaps especially those we choose to silence or avoid altogether.
P.S. That’s not a typo in the headline. On the PTSD issue, it is indeed the “mess” media. If it weren’t a headline, I would have added after “mess”: (sic) – a pun in itself.
