The Guardian has offered its journalists free counseling and mental health support to help them process Donald Trump’s win in the US election, according to an internal email seen by Guido Fawkes, a British political gossip blog.
Written by editor-in-chief Katharine Viner, the email was sent to the liberal paper’s employees on Wednesday, Guido Fawkes claimed.
“I know the result has been very upsetting for many colleagues,” Viner wrote. “Our US teams in particular have covered the election with brilliant reporting…They will be most directly affected by the result. If you’re not in the US, do contact your American colleagues to offer your support.”
“It’s upsetting for many others, too,” she continued. “If you want to talk about it, your manager and members of the leadership team are all available, as the People team. There is also free access to free support services, which I’ve outlined at the end of this email.”
The Guardian’s British staff were told that they can avail themselves of a 24/7 online general practitioner, mental health support, and “virtual wellbeing tools.” Staff in Australia were told that they can access “confidential, impartial professional counseling and support.”
“Something tells Guido all the counseling in the world won’t cure them of Trump Derangement Syndrome,” the gossip site joked.
Trump won a resounding victory against Kamala Harris on Tuesday, defeating the vice president in all seven battleground states and winning the popular vote – a feat not achieved by a Republican since George W. Bush beat John Kerry in 2004. Harris underperformed President Joe Biden’s 2020 result in all 3,144 US counties, while Trump dramatically increased his support from black, Latino, and young voters across the US, particularly males.
The Guardian is not the only institution whose employees apparently need therapy after the election. Dow Constantine, the chief executive of King County in the US state of Washington, emailed county employees on Wednesday offering “emotional support” services, while Harvard University Dean Rakesh Khurana canceled classes to give students “space to process” the results.