Telephone Consultation "Helpline" for Journalists (Press Foundation Baden-Württemberg)

The telephone counseling service “Helpline” of the Press Foundation Baden-Württemberg is aimed at salaried and freelance journalists in Baden-Württemberg who face psychological stress, precariousness, or traumatic events in their professional daily lives. This free and anonymous support service is provided by specially trained colleagues from Netzwerk Recherche and offers low-threshold psychosocial initial care. The goal is to identify stressful situations early and to jointly develop strategies to prevent a potential crisis. As a grant program without application deadlines, the funding from the foundation enables continuous availability and flexibility in accessing the telephone counseling.

The Helpline does not serve as a substitute for therapy but, upon request, refers to further support services and crisis assistance. Through open, empathetic exchanges on equal footing, journalists benefit from the expertise of experienced industry colleagues who are familiar with challenges such as work pressure, personal attacks, or ethical conflicts from their own practice. Inquiries can be made at any time, with anonymity always maintained, ensuring that neither supervisors nor colleagues become aware of the use of the service. This preventive format strengthens professional resilience and contributes to making the media landscape stable and healthy in the long term.