Visual journalism has the power to create deep connections and understanding with our audiences, but it can also unintentionally amplify negative stereotypes, be exploitative and dehumanizing. Ethical journalism’s first principle is to do no harm, and because of its lasting impact, visual journalists must be highly intentional and thoughtful in their work to preserve the dignity of sources while also informing the audience about addiction as a disease.

Reporting on Addiction wants to help visual journalists take on this task so we’re launching a visual style guide. This guide was created for visual journalists and anyone in the newsroom who will be creating, selecting and publishing visuals., and is informed by industry standards and our research, including direct feedback from experts through experience, experts through training and photo and video journalists.During our launch event recorded Sept. 20, 2023, we’ll premiere the guide, review its uses and discuss how these recommendations can help reduce stigma in your reporting and your community with experts in the field including:

Jessica Hulsey is the founder of the Addiction Policy Forum, a national nonprofit organization that helps patients, families, and communities affected by substance use disorders. Jessica has worked with our nation’s top scientists to translate the science of addiction into digestible information for patients, families and other key audiences. Her work comes from personal experience after losing both parents to substance use disorder. Jessica is a current co-PI on several NIH-funded grants, including assisting in building the stakeholder engagement and dissemination plans for the Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN) and the NIH HEAL Initiative. She also serves on the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse (NACDA).

Dr. Martha Tillson is a sociologist by training and a research scientist at the University of Kentucky's Center on Drug and Alcohol Research and Substance Use Priority Research Area. Her research centers on women's unique experiences with substance use and related risks, including a focus on factors and services that support women's recovery, particularly at community reentry post-incarceration. This work is motivated by her desire to reduce stigma and drug-related harms and informed by her lived experience as a person in long-term recovery from addiction.

Jesse Wright is a full-time faculty member of WVU's Reed College of Media, where he teaches writing and media classes. He is also a contributing editor at 100 Days in Appalachia, where he has used his audio, photography and data visualization skills to further the digital news outlet's mission of telling Appalachia's stories. He came to WVU and 100 Days in Appalachia from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where he was news director from 2015-2020. Wright was born in Swaziland (now Eswatini) and grew up in South Africa. During his high school years, he witnessed the end of Apartheid and South Africa's transition to democracy. He moved to West Virginia in 1996 to attend West Virginia University, where he earned a bachelor's in journalism and met his wife, a West Virginia native, in the process. He lives in Morgantown with his wife and three children.