Survivors Say w/ David Guarino

The Trauma Beat

Consider some of the most common top news stories.

Your local hockey team makes it to the Stanley Cup Finals. A high-profile businessperson throws their hat into a political race. A grieving parent breaks down at the scene where their child was just murdered.

Now consider how the media interacts with the people in these stories.

The hockey stars have received some media training and are only interviewed in controlled news conferences or locker room scrums by accredited sports reporters. The aspiring politician has undergone hours of media training, has a list of key messages they’ve practiced in a series of mock interviews, and has a handler who decides which reporters they will talk to and for how long.

The parent of the murdered child, meanwhile, stands alone, fielding a steady stream of requests for media interviews about things their brain hasn’t even had an opportunity to process. All the while, they are making funeral arrangements, speaking with investigators, and caring for their other children. They’ve never been approached for a media interview before this. But here they are, answering phone call after phone call, doorbell after doorbell. They are sad, afraid, and extremely vulnerable.

David Guarino, a former journalist-turned-communications adviser, noticed the disparity in how trauma survivors interacted with the media, and the lack of services for those who are forced to suffer on the public stage. He decided to do something about it.

“How could there not be an organization that does this? And how could government not do it? It just didn’t make sense to me,” David tells Tamara.

David is the founder and president of Survivors Say, a Boston-based non-profit with a team of volunteers who support trauma survivors with the media.

Resources:

survivorssay.org

As per trauma-informed practice, each guest in The Trauma Beat podcast is afforded the opportunity to review and veto a list of anticipated questions before the recorded conversation. Ongoing, informed consent is sought throughout the production process.

This conversation was recorded in March 2024.

For more trauma-informed storytelling resources, visit pickupcommunications.com.