The penchant for “journalists” to make every story about themselves spans the catalog of issues they cover. Given that, it’s hardly surprising that they are now turning the unrest on January 6th into a testament to their own supposed trauma.

(related The Most Insane, Delusional Take on January 6th Has Officially Gone Forth)

Vice News released a piece today that includes all kinds of laughably pathetic anecdotes, from some journalists needing therapy to others refusing to enter the Capitol Building.

NEW: Reporters who survived the deadly Capitol riot are still struggling. Some won’t go back into the building. Several have sought therapy to deal with trauma. Many still aren’t sleeping well. https://t.co/UzRIZg3GiQ

— VICE News (@VICENews) July 6, 2021

Reporters have discussed their personal experiences in the days immediately following the Capitol insurrection. But few have publicly talked about the lasting effects in the months since—the toll that day took on them, the difficulty some have faced in returning to a site where they experienced trauma, and what it’s been like covering a Congress still deeply divided on the events of that day…

…And the emotional scars are still there. Six months after their office was attacked, the Capitol Hill press corps is grappling with how to cover the insurrection’s fallout, as well as its impact on them personally and professionally.

Some reporters who were there won’t go back into the building. A number have sought therapy to deal with the trauma. One longtime Capitol Hill reporter opted for early retirement shortly after living through the riot. Many still aren’t sleeping well.

To be clear, not a single reporter was harmed on January 6th, and as far as I can tell, no one even attempted to harm one. Of course, the same is true of many of the Congressional members who claim to be deeply traumatized as well.

Regardless, much of this self-centered consternation seems overtly political to me. Why do we not hear of any reporters being traumatized by the months of rioting in the summer of 2020? Why are they only harmed mentally when they believe Trump supporters are coming to get them? And to be reiterate, I see no evidence any of them were actually sought out or in danger.

Those that trespassed in the Capitol Building broke the law and are being harshly punished for it (far more than precedent calls for). Yet, what transpired was mostly walking around, yelling, and taking pictures. I question any reporter running to turn themselves into a story by claiming they are still traumatized by that six months later. There are many, many things that would logically be impactful on a reporter doing their job. That this is the only one we hear about feels rather convenient.

Many of the complaints simply border on delusion.

“I do remember just feeling unsafe in my house,” said Wasson. “It occurred to me like, I wonder if some protesters could show up at my house. [I was] trying to assess whether there was actually any danger to me and my family.” https://t.co/7PTS69StID

— VICE News (@VICENews) July 6, 2021

No one is trying to show up at any reporter’s house, and the profanity-laced tirade about the Capitol being his “girlfriend” hardly builds confidence that these are people expressing their feelings clearly and not through a deeply partisan lens.

There will never be another event at the Capitol like January 6th, largely because of how it transpired. It was a small offshoot of a far larger, completely peaceful protest. Any such gathering in the future will draw a massive National Guard and police presence before the first person shows up. Past that, no group of a few hundred people is going to just show up alone at the Capitol and breach it by themselves. It’s an impossibility. These are objective observations, in my view.

Reporters are supposed to live in reality, and if they can’t rejoin it, then it’s probably time to look for a new line of work.