Several Capitol Hill reporters described the ongoing “trauma” they have experienced since the January 6 riot, prompting criticism online, according to Vice News.
Some reporters claimed they had to seek therapy or retire early because of the trauma caused by the riot. Others said they are still losing sleep and are scared to be at the Capitol or even in their homes, Vice News reported. (RELATED: Rioters Chase, Threaten Daily Caller News Foundation Reporter Through The Streets Of DC)
“I’m still not sleeping like I used to, even to this day,” PBS NewsHour correspondent Lisa Desjardins told Vice News. “I became kind of an insomniac.”
Another journalist compared the months since the riot to the ending of a horror movie.
“It definitely could happen again. It’s something that’s on my radar. We’ve become very complacent in thinking the U.S. is different,” Bloomberg News reporter Erik Wasson said, according to Vice. “It’s eerily back to normal. But sometimes It feels like one of those horror movies, like the end of ‘Jaws.’ Everything feels copacetic on the beach. But you wonder if there’s anything out there.”
This is ridiculous. Grow up you weirdos. How can one group of people be so addicted to pretending they’re victims? https://t.co/9hJlhwpM3n
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) July 6, 2021
The journalists’ testimonies faced criticism from conservative public figures, who accused them of over-dramatizing their experiences.
“This is ridiculous. Grow up you weirdos,” wrote congressional candidate Robby Starbuck on Twitter. “How can one group of people be so addicted to pretending they’re victims?”
Dear @VICENews: I was at the Capitol that day in the Cannon building. It was no big deal. Put your big boy pants on. https://t.co/FYDBVkuNtO
— Emerald Robinson ✝️ (@EmeraldRobinson) July 6, 2021
“Dear @VICENews: I was at the Capitol that day in the Cannon building. It was no big deal. Put your big boy pants on,” tweeted Newsmax White House Correspondent Emerald Robinson.
Confronting trauma is one of the most valuable human endeavors. Reducing it to a solipsistic exercise for self-important Beltway media personalties is a perversion of that experience. The real Capitol trauma is that which its occupants inflict on their own country and the world. https://t.co/WnjHnSrv8S
— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) July 6, 2021
“Confronting trauma is one of the most valuable human endeavors. Reducing it to a solipsistic exercise for self-important Beltway media personalties is a perversion of that experience. The real Capitol trauma is that which its occupants inflict on their own country and the world,” wrote podcast host and journalist Aaron Maté.