AJR 34(2) 33 Listening to trauma: journalistic challenges of interviewing and telling stories of asbestos Mia Lindgren Abstract This article explores the issue of listening to, and reporting of, trauma as part of the production process in the making of a radio documen- tary, Deadly Dust (broadcast on ABC Radio National), about asbes- tos-related disease. Speciically, it considers the impact of interview- ing traumatised people on the interviewer, the interviewee and society more broadly. It presents an autoethnographic account of the author’s often-challenging interviewing experience; questioning the impact, eth- ics and meaning of undertaking such interviews. Most analyses of the impact of trauma reporting focus on situations such as war zones and disasters, and not on the impact of reporting traumas of everyday life, such as living with terminal illness. The paper draws on critical discus- sions of the issue of listening to, and telling of, stories of trauma from other disciplines such as narrative studies and oral history. The pa- per concludes by arguing that critically informed relexive journalistic practice can beneit all of those involved. Introduction “Margaret is willing to talk to you but you better hurry because she’s really unwell,” read the message from the Slater & Gordon lawyer. He had just settled Margaret’s claim for compensation for the terminal cancer mesothelioma she contracted from living in Wittenoom, in northern Western Australia. My heart jumped. I had been hoping she would say yes. Margaret had lived in the blue asbestos mining town as a child. Hers was a shocking story of how asbestos had wiped out most of her family. There were 11 in the Whitaker family living in Wittenoom in the ’40 and ’50s – six were still alive but only two sisters were left untouched by the deadly mineral. As I lifted the phone to ring her to introduce myself, the initial excitement of her agreeing to be interviewed turned to trepidation. What do you say to someone who has experienced such trauma? How do you interact with a person who is next