The project "OnSAFE" aimed to explore the impact of economic crisis-related stories on the mental health of journalists and photojournalists and to develop educational and training materials to help media professionals and journalism students prepare for, report on, and recover from crisis-related traumatic events. Our primary hypothesis was that media professionals in crisis-ridden European countries (Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Ireland) face significant psychological risks due to their extensive coverage of traumatic events since 2008.

The first goal of the project was to explore the types of trauma that result from covering stories related to the economic crisis. This was successfully achieved through a comprehensive literature review and empirical research, establishing new correlations between trauma journalism and economic crises. Key findings were presented at the 9th European Communication Conference ECREA 2022 and published in the journal 'Studies in Media and Communication,' highlighting the significant impact of economic crises on journalists' mental health.

The second goal was to record the media professionals’ needs and proposed remedies to buffer the effects of the trauma. This objective was met by developing and distributing a comprehensive questionnaire to 600 journalists from the six targeted countries. The data collected provided valuable insights into the prevalence of PTSD among journalists, the types of events most likely to cause PTSD, and the coping mechanisms employed by media professionals. Additionally, semi-structured interviews with 60 journalists further documented their personal traumatic experiences and gathered their suggestions for remedies. The results of these interviews contributed to two research articles, one of which is under review for publication in a high-impact Q1 journal.

The third goal was to disseminate the findings to all interested parties and provide practical training. This was accomplished by organizing training seminars and courses for media professionals and journalism students, incorporating the knowledge gained from the research. A specialized psychologist developed a key part of the training material, focusing on addressing trauma in journalism. The training materials and seminar content were refined based on pilot sessions and participant feedback. All materials were published on a dedicated website, making them freely available to academics, media professionals, and journalism students. The availability of these resources was communicated through emails to journalists' unions and university departments, as well as through social media channels.

The final achievement was the creation and dissemination of the "Economic Crisis and Trauma Journalism Handbook." This comprehensive manual provides practical guides, experiential exercises, and case studies to help journalists manage trauma and build resilience. Published open access on the research program's website, the Handbook is accessible to a global audience, ensuring that the project's findings and recommendations reach a wide range of stakeholders.

In summary, the "OnSAFE" project successfully achieved its goals by exploring the trauma associated with economic crisis coverage, documenting media professionals' needs and proposed remedies, disseminating the findings through training programs, and producing an open-access Handbook. These efforts have made significant contributions to understanding and addressing the mental health challenges faced by journalists, providing valuable resources for improving their emotional well-being and resilience.