Over the past few years, there’s been an influx of articles about increasing ADHD and autism diagnoses. But what you may not realise is that lots of the journalists penning these pieces and covering other important topics are themselves neurodivergent.
In a 2024 survey, conducted by Press Gazette, nearly half of its 136 respondents (64) said they were neurodivergent. The most commonly reported forms of neurodivergence in this study were autism and ADHD.
Quite simply, someone considered neurodivergent has a differently wired brain compared to neurotypical people. These differences in brain function can make things like socialising and seeing the bigger picture difficult but then result in unique strengths in pattern recognition and hyper-focusing on niche topics.
For journalists, being neurodivergent often means being able to report on topics from a different perspective and with high technicality. However, a busy newsroom isn’t always the best environment for them. So, what can be done to make news organisations more neurodivergent-friendly?
Mixed experiences
Many neurodivergent journalists have experienced a mixture of tolerant and intolerant newsrooms, particularly during the early stages of their careers. When Daily Record reporter Iona Young first started out in the industry, her ADHD had yet to be diagnosed. Consequently, she received no support to make her life easier as a reporter.
In her second journalism job, Young eventually found out that she had ADHD. And after understanding her diagnosis and its impact on her career, she has been able to communicate her struggles with her editor and is thriving in her current role.
Young says her editor takes the time to understand how her brain works, sets clear expectations regarding tasks, and regularly checks in to see how she’s getting on with her work and to ensure she hasn’t forgotten anything. To ensure Young isn’t overwhelmed by the anti-social working hours of the 24/7 news agenda, she says her bosses also set consistent hours when doing her rota.
The type of outlet a journalist writes for can also determine whether their neurodivergence will be adequately understood and supported. For instance, one seasoned tech and business journalist with ADHD, bipolar disorder and autism – who wishes to remain anonymous – experienced significant challenges when working for a major American financial newspaper in the noughties.
In this busy and large newsroom, she says no one spoke to each other verbally. Most communication happened over an instant messaging service. Because of this, unspoken social rules became the norm. If she so much as laughed or had a conversation with someone, her colleagues would stare. And equally, if her colleagues spoke loudly in an editorial meeting, they’d be judged for it.
An open-plan office only made things worse, with this reporter telling me that she “felt exposed and overstimulated” due to the lack of cubicle walls. She adds: “My hunch is that neurotypical people also struggled there.”
But when she began working for a major tech news outlet, things were the complete opposite. Factors like online meetings, creative freedom and a diverse team allowed her to thrive, regardless of her mental health conditions. She suspects many of her colleagues were also neurodivergent, as she “always felt comfortable around them”.
Sometimes, landing a journalism job at an outlet that understands neurodivergent talent is just luck, attests Gareth Ceidiog Hughes, a journalist based in Wales. He says:
“As far as my own experience in work environments goes in various journalistic and communications roles goes, it’s been mixed. Some have been great and others not so much.”
Breaking the stigma
When it comes to making newsrooms more inclusive for neurodivergent journalists, Young says an important first step is to provide adequate education about neurodivergence across newsrooms. Specifically, it should aim to tackle stereotypes and stigma surrounding neurodivergent disorders like ADHD.
For Young, the notion that ADHD is a made-up condition used for excusing bad time management and avoiding responsibility in the workplace is rampant across the media industry and highly damaging. But she’s confident these unfair assumptions can be tackled by reporters being transparent about their neurodivergence and management undergoing neurodivergence awareness training.
This sentiment is echoed by Ceidiog Hughes, who urges editors and newsroom managers not to assume neurodivergent journalists’ needs. Because every neurodivergent person is different, he says news organisations should source information about neurodivergent employees’ specific needs and attributes directly from them. And using these responses, employers can put adequate support in place. Of course, neurodivergent employees need proper channels to be open about their conditions – and without fear of being judged.
In addition to better understanding neurodivergence, editors should also refrain from micromanaging their reporters. The American tech and business journalist I spoke to has experienced this throughout her career and found it “stifling and confusing”. She adds that being inundated with contradictory demands from higher-ups sends her into “cognitive overload”, causing her to experience burnout and depression.
To thrive in a busy newsroom, she needs to focus on the task at hand without unnecessary distractions like unscheduled meetings or unnecessary Slack messages. As an autistic person, she also works better with a consistent routine. She continues: “Having my routine disrupted by being scheduled into stuff without my consent is not only unmooring but also poor company practice.”
A lack of work-life balance can also lead to neurodivergent reporters struggling in the workplace, argues Abha Abdul Ahad, a freelance journalist from India with ADHD. She’s observed many job adverts for entry-level reporting roles requiring the creation of up to seven weekly features and up to five daily news pieces. She adds: “These are unrealistic expectations even for a neurotypical writer.”
Neurodivergence can be an asset
Challenges aside, having a form of neurodivergence can be a strength for journalists in many different ways. For starters, neurodivergent people think differently from their neurotypical peers, which Young says allows them to “spot stories others miss by looking between the lines”.
What’s more, having a condition like ADHD allows reporters to hyper-focus on specific tasks. This, coupled with a burning passion for journalism, has helped Young to “thrive” in her career. Ahad agrees, explaining that her ADHD often means she goes “down rabbit holes researching niche topics” and helps her cover a versatile array of stories.
Another aspect of ADHD that Ahad has benefited from is being “extremely observant”. As a child, she didn’t feel understood by her peers and spent “a lot of time learning people’s body language”. While disparaging at the time, Adbha says these observational skills she developed as a child have equipped her to cover human interest stories.
Similarly to Young and Ahad, Ceidiog Hughes says his autism allows him to find angles and information for stories that are typically missed by his neurotypical counterparts. He adds: “The logical autistic mind can also be adept at deciphering information and spotting inconsistencies.”
The tech journalist, on the other hand, admits that her brain can often feel chaotic. But like many people with ADHD and autism, she has learnt to process large volumes of information simultaneously and identify patterns that can make for excellent tech articles.
She enthuses: “It’s easy for me to find things to turn into trend stories. It’s also not hard for me to sense patterns in human behavior, so I think that makes me a better colleague who is well-equipped to deal with newsroom dynamics.”
