The Guardian Newspaper Reminds Staff of Mental Health Support After Trump Win

The Guardian newspaper in the U.K., which has a large U.S. presence, has reminded its journalists they have access to 24/7 mental health support as part of their benefits package following Donald Trump’s election to the White House. “I know the result has been very upsetting for many colleagues,” said the paper’s editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner, in an email to staff following the election, which was first reported by the right-wing news site Guido Fawkes. “It’s upsetting for many others, too. If you want to talk about it, your manager and members of the leadership team are all available, as [is] the People team.” Viner went on to detail several mental health supports staff can access under their regular employee benefit plan. Multiple sources at The Guardian, who spoke to the Daily Beast, said it is not unusual for Viner to remind staff of these benefits—which have been around for years—after notable or traumatizing news events. Similar messages have been communicated, for example, around the war in Gaza. A spokesperson for The Guardian told the Daily Beast that the paper was simply flagging “our employee assistance program—a function that any responsible international media organization has available for staff at all times.” Most major news orgs do have similar benefits—for example, The Guardian’s conservative rival, The Telegraph, which also reported on Viner’s memo, boasts on its website that employees have access to “a brilliant network of Wellbeing Champions and trained Mental Health First Aiders who help to drive the mental health agenda across the organisation.”