Journal October 2026 Special DISPUK Release_Full Version - Flipbook - Page 80
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I have a feeling that you know many people could use a reminder of
this. Just yesterday, I quoted you to a friend whose partner is
struggling with a problematic addiction. She was very moved. I think
your words helped her realize how she sometimes experiences her
partner9s addiction as a rejection of her love. We had a talk about it.
Thank you for giving me the words to start it.
Olivia
Caroline replied that very same evening. After some corrections to the interview,
she wrote that she was touched to hear that our conversation had made an
impression on me and it made her happy to know that there was at least one
person who had taken something away from what she herself called her story of
suffering.
My colleague Lone Kaae Morell often talks about outsider witnessing letters as a
way to exchange a story with another person.
After Caroline replied to my email, I understood a little better what Lone meant. I
sensed that it meant something to Caroline that in the email I hadn9t just sent the
article for fact-checking but had also shared a little of myself. A short story about
me, my daughter, and not least about my friend, whose loved one was dealing
with substance abuse-related problems.
In that moment, the dynamic shifted slightly. I was no longer just a journalist who
had listened. I was a human being. Someone who shared a story in exchange for a
story.
Working Against Feelings of Shame
It9s hardly news that the media landscape has become a harsher place to
navigate, especially when you share something that might provoke moral
judgments.
How Journalists Can Tell Stories Without Making Sources More Vulnerable
Journal of Contemporary Narrative Therapy, October 2026 Special Release, p. 71-82
www.journalcnt.com
