MediaStrong champions mental wellbeing in journalism by delivering tailored training, practical resources, and direct support to journalists and newsroom leaders. Through global partnerships, annual conferences, and stigma-breaking campaigns, it builds safer, healthier newsroom cultures that proactively address trauma, stress, and burnout across the UK, Ireland, and beyond.
MediaStrong has already made a significant impact by delivering tailored newsroom training across the UK and Ireland, helping journalists and editors manage stress and trauma. Its annual London conference brings together global newsroom leaders to share solutions and drive change. Through campaigns and initiatives like the Newsroom Mental Health Charter, MediaStrong is breaking down stigma and normalising conversations around journalist wellbeing. These efforts are helping reshape newsroom culture, encouraging proactive mental health care and embedding support systems across the media industry.
MediaStrong Founder Leona O’Neill is a former journalist and Course Director at Ulster University. After 25 years in the media industry she founded the organisation after witnessing the toll trauma, stress and burnout take on those working in the newsroom.
Driven by personal experience and deep industry insight, she created MediaStrong to break stigma and build lasting, compassionate mental health support for journalists.