January 2006

Mind over matterImproving media reporting of

mental health

Policy EstatesHR / Workforce PerformanceManagement IM & TPlanning FinanceClinical Partnership Working

Document Purpose For Information

ROCR Ref: Gateway Ref: 5825

Title Mind over matter: Improving media reporting of mental health

Author CSIP/Shift

Publication Date 24 Jan 2006

Target Audience Journalists in national media; newspaper groups, The Press ComplaintsCommission, OFCOM, NUJ and the Society of Editors; the mental healthvoluntary sector; communications leads at NIHME Regional DevelopmentCentres, Mental Health Trusts and Strategic Health Trusts; Mental HealthTeam at the Department of Health and Government Department Press Offices

Circulation List

Description This report analyses media coverage of mental illness. It finds that reportingtends to focus on cases of violence linked to mental illness to the exclusion ofmore balanced coverage of severe mental health problems. Shift proposesworking with the media, voluntary sector and across Government to improvecoverage. Objectives include dispelling myths, setting violent crimes in contextand helping service users speak to the media.

Cross Ref From Here to Equality: A Strategic Plan to Tackle Stigma and Discrimination onMental Health Grounds

Superseded Docs N/A

Action Required N/A

Timing Launched by Minister on 24 January 2006

Contact Details Robert WestheadShiftRoom 302, 117 Waterloo RoadLondonSE1 8UL

DH INFORMATION READER BOX

1

Contents

Page

Foreword 2

Statement of support 3

Introduction 4

Method and analysis 6

Summary of findings 7

Conclusions 12

Recommendations 14

References 17

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Usually shifts in attitude are slow, even glacial.But once in a while, there's a change that'sidentified with a single event on a specific day.

One of those rare moments was September 232003 – the day the Sun's first edition carried astory with the headline “Bonkers Bruno LockedUp.” The negative reaction to that report on theplight of the former heavyweight champion FrankBruno was so rapid and so intense that theheadline was replaced in time for later editions,with “Sad Bruno in mental home.”

In that one episode, the entire mass media ofBritain received a lesson in the presentation andreporting of mental health. Of course, there wasno overnight transformation. Rather what theBruno affair revealed was a change in attitudesthat had long been under way – and the extent towhich the Sun had failed to keep up.

That change was visible in Sun readers, whorecoiled at such harsh, callous language. But itwas also noticeable in the rest of the media, whichinstantly recognised the Sun's mistake.

None of this happened by accident. It happenedthrough the patient, persistent work of bothGovernment anti-stigma campaigns and groups inthe voluntary sector, like the ones that haveauthored this report. Which is why journalists likeme should listen when they speak out togethernow.

This latest report is no finger-wagging scolding ofthe media. It makes clear that on common mentalhealth problems our reporting is no worse thanour coverage of other health issues. Where we falldown is on severe mental illness, which we treatnot as a crisis for the person concerned (as wewould with any other extreme illness), but as amenace to the rest of society. The constantequation of mental illness with violence is at theheart of this problem.

Yet the report is no counsel of despair; it proposesa range of remedies. And let’s not forget, themedia have been led out of a similar hole before.There was a time when the press reported onblack Britons not as people, but as a challenge, oreven a threat, to “the rest of us.” Often the onlytime a black face appeared in a newspaper was toillustrate a story on crime. Slowly, the mediachanged its ways. Gradually, it began to report onthe lives of black people in their own right – notsolely for their impact on white folk. The tired,racist associations – of black men with violence –first receded and then became off-limits.

The same needs to happen to our relationshipwith severe mental illness. And the ‘our’ here isnot just the media – but all of us. We all need towork together to make a real difference - theGovernment, the voluntary sector and themedia.This report helps set us on that path.

Foreword

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Stigma blights the lives of far too many peopleexperiencing mental ill health. The media has avital role to play in helping reduce this stigma andimproving people’s understanding of mentalillness.

That is why the National Union of Journalistswelcomes a new report on media coverageproduced by Shift, a government programme toreduce the stigma and discrimination experiencedby people with mental health problems. The reportrecognises that people experiencing severe mentalillness are often seen in the media as ‘problempeople’ rather than ‘people with a problem’. Thatis not just an issue for the media. Nationalpoliticians have helped create this climate ofpublic thinking.

Much of the report reinforces what has been saidin earlier studies of media coverage. People withmental health problems and their carers need helpto be heard in the media. Journalists often struggleto find either professionals or service users andcarers to talk to them. Journalists interviewed saythey need clear guidelines and contacts to helpthem, cover stories about mental illness. This iswhy the NUJ is working with Shift to update ourown guidelines.

One of the report’s key recommendations is thatcampaigners should reduce stigma by focussingon improving coverage of severe mental illness byjournalists. This makes sense, as there have beensignificant steps forward in media coverage ofmatters such as depression.

The report offers encouragement by referring toimprovement in media coverage of mental illness.Even the national tabloids have changed – hence theswift change of the Sun’s headline directed at FrankBruno’s mental ill health!

The NUJ has a strong commitment to improving thelives of both its members and the general public whoare experiencing mental ill health. We have beenworking with our freelance members on this verysubject.

Attitudes do not change overnight. We note this is afive-year programme and the NUJ will play its partin bringing about the required change. We supportShift and the recommendations in this report.

Statement of support

4

The surveyShift, a five-year government programme toreduce the stigma and discriminationexperienced by people with mental healthproblems, commissioned this survey of mediacoverage of mental health.

Shift is run by the National Institute for MentalHealth in England (NIMHE). It is funded by andworks with the Department of Health.Shift aims to create a society where everyoneenjoys the same rights and opportunities aseveryone else. Three national mental healthorganisations, the Sainsbury Centre for MentalHealth, Mental Health Media and Rethink,were commissioned to carry out the survey.

Media coverage of mental health has longbeen a cause of concern for people who usemental health services, as well as their carersand those working in mental health. Thesurvey aimed to:assess the current state of mental healthcoverage in the mass media at the outset ofthe Shift programmecreate a benchmark by which future changesin such coverage can be measuredand make recommendations about how Shiftand its partners, including the media, canhelp to bring about improvements in mediacoverage of mental health.

This survey provides an insight into the waythe news and factual mass media cover mentalhealth issues and portray people with mentalhealth problems. It not only examines the kindof coverage that appears but also uncovers agreat deal about the way journalists andproducers go about covering mental healthissues and the way members of the publicreceive and are influenced by that coverage.

This is a summary of the report. The full reportcan be found on the Shift website atwww.shift.org.uk.

The problemMental health is a huge problem responsiblefor untold suffering. One in four people willexperience a mental health problem at somepoint in their lives. Some 630,000 people inEngland are today in regular contact withmental health services1. People with long-termmental health problems are one of the mostexcluded groups in society. Although manywant to work, fewer than a quarter actuallydo – the lowest employment rate for any ofthe main groups of disabled people – makingthem one of the most excluded groups insociety2. People with mental health problemsare not just excluded from jobs. They areexcluded from education, healthcare and fromplaying a full part in our communities.

The economic costs are enormous too. About amillion people on incapacity benefit in the UKhave a mental health problem – more than thetotal number of people claimingunemployment benefit3. Mental healthproblems are estimated to cost over £77 billiona year through the costs of care, economiclosses and premature death4.

Introduction

Stigma and discrimination, which pervadessociety, reinforces this social and economicexclusion. Fewer than four in ten employers,for example, say they would recruit someonewith a mental health problem, and manypeople fear disclosing their condition, even tofamily and friends5. People with mental healthproblems frequently report that the barriersthey face because of their diagnosis have abigger impact on their lives than theirsymptoms. They say they can manage theirsymptoms and get on with their lives, but fear,prejudice and discrimination take away therights that others take for granted. Thechallenge for the media is to help end thestigma of mental health.

Progress so farThere have been dramatic improvements inmedia coverage of mental health issues inrecent years. Depression, anxiety, stress, eatingdisorders, panic attacks, post-natal depressionand obsessive-compulsive disorder – all theseconditions and more are now widely reportedon. We read in the health and news pagesabout these illnesses and watch documentarieson television about them. Celebrities likeFrank Bruno and Gail Porter speak out abouttheir mental health problems. Commonmental illnesses have entered into the generallexicon. This is in stark comparison to ten ortwenty years ago when we knew next tonothing about them.

Despite this undoubted progress, thereremains a long way to go. Prejudiced attitudesabout severe mental illness remain deeplyingrained in our society. The media can helpchallenge these preconceptions by changinghow mental health is reported. The mediacannot do this alone. It is only by workingtogether that those with mental healthproblems, Government, the mental healthsector and the media can improve coverage.

5

The media analysis has a number of componentsboth quantitative and qualitative. The analysiswas based on a survey of media coverage inEngland of any aspect of mental health duringMarch 2005.

The survey covered:

newspapers, including their Sundayequivalentseight regional newspapers

news and factual broadcast programmes,including news programme aimed at youngpeople

The project also ran focus groups. The first ofthese was made up of people with mentalhealth problems, who helped design the survey.A further three focus groups were held afterthe survey was completed. At these post-surveygroups, sample items of coverage were shownto those taking part to investigate theirreactions and to gauge whether coverage couldhave an impact on their views. The three post-survey groups consisted of a broadsheet readersgroup, a tabloid readers group and a group ofpeople with mental health problems who used arange of media.

One-to-one interviews were also held with sixdifferent journalists responsible for items ofcoverage included in the analysis. Thesejournalists worked in national, as well asregional, broadcast and print media. Interviewsconcentrated on the journey from storyinitiation to final broadcast or publication.

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Method and analysis

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The sample period for the survey, March 2005,is not necessarily a representative month interms of media coverage of mental healthissues. There were three events that influencedpress coverage that month. Firstly, John Barrettwas convicted of killing Denis Finnegan inRichmond Park. Secondly, Peter Bryan wasconvicted for another homicide. This case wasinfamous for the ‘cannibal’ element of hisoffences, his history of mental illness and thefact he had killed two people previously.Thirdly, the Parliamentary Scrutiny Committeereported on the draft Mental Health Bill.These three events served to heighten mediaattention on the perceived links betweenviolence, dangerousness and mental illness.

Also widely reported in March 2005 was theHome Office announcement of the review ofclassification of cannabis and the researchlinking the drug with mental illness. There wasalso research released on the positive impact ofexercise on symptoms of mild and moderatedepression. Finally, there were some highprofile celebrity stories, such as the reportedattempted suicide of TV presenter Gail Porter,who had post-natal depression.

Mental health topics coveredThe majority of coverage in March was in theprint media. Homicides and crimes were themost common stories covered in March 2005accounting for 27 per cent of all coverage. Thegraph below shows the top ten topics formedia coverage of mental health during themonth.

Top ten topics

Summary of findings

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Homicides

Drugs &MentalHealthDepression

Wellbeing

Other violentIncidentsSuicides

Stress

Mental Health Bill

Mental HealthServicesArts/cultureandMental Health

Percen

tageofco

verage

Different topics

Overtly stigmatising words were rarely used inheadlines. When used, they tended to be inconnection with homicides and crimes. Oneexample was a news story in The Daily Expresswith the headline 'Open more asylums to keep ussafe from killer patients'.

8

Sources of commentProfessionals, mainly from the health and socialcare sectors, were quoted more frequently instories about mental health than any othergroup. People with mental health problemswere only quoted in six per cent of all piecesand carers in only three per cent. Their viewsfeatured more often in pieces about morecommon types of mental health problems.Criminal justice professionals and victims’

families are often quoted in stories aboutsevere mental health problems because of theconnection with crime and violence. The graphbelow shows the number of quotes from eachgroup across the whole sample.

The most common source of stories, where itwas possible to attribute a story, was thecriminal justice system, in other words the policeand the criminal courts.

0

5

1 0

1 5

2 0

2 5

3 0

3 5

4 0

H e a l t h , s o c i a l c a r e a n do t h e r - r e l a t e dp r o f e s s i o n a l s

V o l u n t a r y s e c t o r

L a w / C r im i n a l j u s t i c e

P e o p l e w i t h m e n t a lh e a l t h p r o b l e m

V i c t im ' s F a m i l y

P o l i t i c i a n

C a r e r / R e l a t i v e

G e n e r a l P u b l i c / o t h e r

H e a l t h / s o c i a l c a r eo r g a n i s a t i o n /m a n a g e r

Percen

tageofstories

quotedin

Groups

Summary of findings CONTINUED

People quoted in articles

9

Tone of coverageThe survey looked at what messages could beinferred from the articles examined: the ideasthat a recipient might be most likely to takefrom them. The most common messagesrelated to the risks and causes of mental healthproblems (for example the possible linkbetween cannabis and schizophrenia). Thesewere found in 19% of stories. Messages aboutthe risk of violence posed by people withmental health problems were present in 15%of stories, over three-quarters of which impliedthe risk was high, not low. Stories about mentalhealth services were predominantly negativeand focused on people with severe mentalhealth problems. Items about differenttreatments, which invariably were aboutpeople with common mental health conditions,were largely positive in tone. Messages aboutrecovery from mental ill-health, somethingpeople with mental health problems told usthey were most keen to see, appeared in fiveper cent of the sample. Almost all of thesewere about common mental health conditions.

The messages people are most likely to takefrom mental health reporting in our sample,therefore, are predominantly about risk: eitherthe risk of developing a mental illness, or therisk of violence. This was most pronounced inarticles relating to severe mental healthconditions. For common mental healthproblems, the breadth of messages wasgreater, with more messages about treatment,wellbeing and recovery. Such messages werealmost never present in stories about severemental health conditions.

Black and Asian mediaBlack and Asian newspapers were surveyed formental health coverage but so few exampleswere found, that the results have beenexcluded from these findings.

Young people’s mediaThe media aimed mainly at young people inour sample had very little coverage of mentalhealth in the sample period. Consumermagazines aimed at young men and boys werevery lacking in content about mental health,with the exception of two uses of pejorativelanguage in football-related items.

Focus groups

Pre-survey – people with mental healthproblemsThe first focus group, consisting of people withmental health problems, was held before thesurvey. They said they felt stigmatised byreporting of mental health. They were of theview that the media can fuel popularmisconceptions about mental health problems.They were concerned that emphasis in themedia on risk, violence and crime couldencourage public fears and discrimination.

The focus group believed improvement couldbe made if there was more diverse coverage onissues relating to mental health. They alsobelieved that celebrities being open abouttheir mental health problems could have a verypositive impact on public opinion. Theremaining focus groups considered actualcoverage in March 2005.

Post-survey – broadsheet readersThe broadsheet readers’ focus group includedpeople who did not know much about mentalhealth issues. They believed that mental illnesswas a taboo subject. They acknowledged theirfears but believed they read the news with a‘critical eye’. They felt that coverage inbroadsheets was more trustworthy than in thetabloid press.

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Post-survey – tabloid readersThe tabloid readers felt they were more literalin their acceptance or dismissal of coverage.They acknowledged a general fear of mentalhealth problems and the links with danger, buttheir perceptions of mental health varied morethan those of the first group. Those who hadhad personal contact with people with mentalhealth problems were critical of the media,whereas those without any personal contactwere more likely to link mental health withviolence and crime.

Post-survey - people with mental healthproblemsThe last group, of people with mental healthproblems, were more mixed in their mediaconsumption. They reviewed the presscoverage as mainly negative and concentratingon dramatic and rare cases.

Findings of focus groupsThe main issues emerging from the focusgroups related to trust in chosen media,messages relayed by the coverage, the value ofcoverage and the involvement of people withmental health problems. The groupshighlighted that the way people receivemessages depends on their own experiences,their relationship with the medium concerned(for example if they regularly read anewspaper they believed it more than if theydid not) and the power of images and wordsused (for example that pejorative or dramaticimagery can distort what is being said in areport). They showed that media producers’control over which messages are received andhow they are interpreted is considerable but byno means absolute.

One consistent finding from all the focusgroups was that people who had personal

contact with people with mental healthproblems invariably showed moreunderstanding. They also tended to be morecritical of media reporting which cast peoplewith mental health problems in anunfavourable light. They were also much lesslikely to make a link between mental illnessand violence compared to people with no firsthand experience.

Interviews with journalistsThe one-to-one interviews with journalistsconcentrated on the journey of a story, fromsource, through production, to release. Thoseinterviewed indicated that they did not viewmental health as a story in its own right andsaid that what interested them was theunusual, the sensational, conflict and humaninterest.

What journalists said was newsworthy

Journalist A: “We make a judgement aboutwhat the audience will be interested in.There is no sexiness in mental health unlesssomeone has committed a terrible crime.”

Journalist B: “Usually, mental health stories areof most interest to newspapers when theyaffect the wider public… Unfortunately mentalhealth issues are not often seen as glamorousin their own right.”

Both quotes, neither from ‘tabloid’ media,demonstrate that news is judged in terms ofwhat is ‘sexy’ and ‘glamorous’; that the needsof people with mental health problemsthemselves are of little interest until thosepeople begin to threaten others in society.

Summary of findings CONTINUED

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Journalists commented on their frustration intrying to secure a balance in coverage whensome parties were not available for interview.Those mentioned included governmentofficials, voluntary sector organisations andpeople with mental health problemsthemselves, many of whom the journaliststhought mistrusted the media.

Journalists also mentioned their frustration insecuring relevant images and photographs touse in their mental health coverage. They werenot aware of guidance on reporting mentalhealth issues within their organisations or frommental health agencies. Those interviewed feltthey would benefit from a style guide onreporting, a list of appropriate contacts in thesector and a reduction in the suspicion showntowards journalists and producers from thoseworking in or using mental health services.

Key findings

stories covered in March 2005 accounting for27 per cent of all coverage.

used in headlines, but when used theytended to be connected with items abouthomicides and crimes.

only quoted in six per cent of all pieces.

the criminal courts) were the most commonknown source of stories about mental health.

people with mental health problems werepresent in 15% of stories, most of whichimplied the risk was high.

health in either young people’s media orblack and Asian media.

people with mental health problems aremore understanding of them, more critical ofnegative media reporting and more scepticalabout links made by the media betweenmental health and violence.

subject worthy of reporting in its own rightbut as an incidental source of stories aboutconflict, human interest, the unusual and thesensational.

coverage were often frustrated by thedifficulty of getting comments fromgovernment, the voluntary sector and peoplewith mental health problems.

using mental health services to be lesssuspicious of journalists and producers tryingto cover the subject responsibly.

relevant images and photographs to illustratepieces about their mental health.

reporting mental health issues within theirorganisations or from mental healthagencies.

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Common mental health problemsThere is much good reporting of mentalhealth. Almost all the types of media surveyedcarried some sensitive, balanced andthoughtful coverage of mental health issues.Among the more sensitive coverage surveyedwas a feature in the Daily Mirror aboutindividuals with pre-menstrual tension and onein the Birmingham Post about obsessive-compulsive disorder. There was also extensivetelevision and radio coverage of the MentalHealth Foundation's report on the benefits ofexercise for depression.

Common mental health problems in particularwere treated in the media in much the sameway as other health issues. Coverage was wide-ranging and informative. The journalists andproducers interviewed were all keen todevelop a greater understanding about mentalhealth: some had strong personal motivationsto do so because they knew people who hadmental health problems.

Severe mental health problemsHowever, severe mental problems are tackledquite differently. The concern is not for the‘patient’ but for the wider public. The way themedia portray people with severe mentalhealth problems is more akin to that of asylumseekers, young offenders and drug users thanit is to other groups of people with an illness ordisability. They are seen as ‘problem people’rather than ‘people with problems’. Stories areinvariably constructed first and foremost froma concern for ‘public safety’ and focus onfailures of the system, neglecting the welfareof people with mental health problems.

The journalists interviewed were frank whenthey said they did not view severe mentalhealth as a story in its own right. This needs tobe addressed, so that severe mental health

problems are recognised for what they are - amajor public health issue affecting well overhalf a million people in England.

ViolenceBecause severe mental health tends only to beconsidered of interest when somethingsensational and shocking happens, there is aclear tendency in reporting towards focusingon rare incidents of violence. A sensationalcourt case, like the one of Peter Bryan, canbecome the subject of a media ‘feedingfrenzy’, with the story becoming front pagenews. Of course, it is quite right and legitimatethat the media reports on these events. Butwhen the reporting of such cases is not set incontext, coverage can reinforce stereotypes ofpeople with severe mental health problems.

In some cases highly pejorative language isused and overall coverage can leave readersand viewers with the false impression thatmost or many people with a mental illness areviolent. Many stigmatising stories relate tocourt cases and cases of violent crime. This canbe damaging to the vast majority of peoplewith severe mental health problems who poseno risk to others.

Race and young peopleThere is also a worrying overlap with anotherarea for which the media has been criticised onmany occasions: its portrayal of race issues.Much of the pejorative coverage of homicidefeatured stories of black men. This reflects avery strong and damaging stereotype in oursociety and is a major cause for concern. This isparticularly concerning as the specialist mediafor these groups in the month surveyed did notcover mental health issues and so provided nocounterbalance. For young people’s media,mental health was all but invisible duringMarch 2005.

Conclusions

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Public ignoranceOur survey found that public ignorance aboutmental illness contributes to discriminatoryviews about people with mental healthproblems. Where people in the focus groupshad personal contact with people with mentalhealth problems, invariably they showed moreunderstanding. This suggests the media canplay a vital role in educating the public,promoting understanding of people withmental health problems and reducing fear andignorance.

Source of commentPeople with a mental health problem werequoted in only six per cent of the storiesanalysed in the survey. If the voices of peoplewith a mental health problem continue not tobe heard, ignorance will continue. This iswhere the media can play a vital role,promoting understanding of people withmental health problems by interviewing themand encouraging them to tell their stories.

StigmaThere is clear evidence that across the mediacoverage about severe mental healthconditions is still highly problematic. From theuse of stigmatising language to unhelpfulcomments by high-profile writers, the printmedia in particular is responsible for somecontent that is likely to reinforce and legitimisediscriminating attitudes.

The Press Complaints Commission Code statesthat:

“The press must avoid prejudicial or pejorativereference to an individual's race, colour, religion,gender, sexual orientation or to any physical ormental illness or disability.”

Key facts about mental health

Shift will seek to make journalists more aware ofsome of the key facts about mental health in thereporting guidelines it is writing for the media inpartnership with the Society of Editors and theNational Union of Journalists. These facts includethat:

6- more than 12 people aday – kill themselves every year in England.This is nearly double the number of peoplekilled in road accidents, which are about 2,3007

every year.

with a mental health problem may attack amember of the public at random. However,most people with a mental health problem arenot violent – they are far more likely to be arisk to themselves than to anyone else – andmost violence in society is not the result ofmental illness.

by someone with a history of alcohol abusethan someone with a severe mental healthproblem.

mental health problems are rare.

with severe mental health problems has notincreased over the last 30 years despite theintroduction of care in the community8.

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Recommendations

The survey outlines five principles for actionthat will support the improved coverage ofmental health issues in the media:

1. Efforts to tackle stigmatising media coveragehave to be focused on severe mental healthproblems. Reporting of common mentalhealth problems is generally good. It ispeople with severe mental health problemswho are most discriminated against, denieda voice and reporting on in a prejudicedway.

2. More work is needed to generate moreserious coverage of severe mental illness as ahealth condition. Organisations working inthis field need to redouble their efforts topromote ‘normal’ stories about severemental health problems and to supportindividuals willing to tell their stories incompelling ways.

3. Organisations working to challenge themedia representation of mental health needto better support and promote the viewsand experiences of people with mentalhealth problems. They need to encourageindividuals and create space for them todevelop their skills and become mediaspokespeople for their organisations.

4. Speedy and concerted intervention is neededto prevent ‘feeding frenzies’ developing outof high-profile events and court cases. TheGovernment and much of the voluntarysector have been noticeable in their absencein the reporting of major cases like the PeterBryan one. The media will always coversensational crime stories. The Governmentand voluntary sector needs to be betterprepared to engage with it andprovide a countervailing voice to those whofeed public fears about the dangers

presented by people with severe mentalhealth problems.

5. Sources of news, not just journalists andproducers, need to be targeted in efforts toimprove coverage. The police and courts anda range of political and academic bodiescreate news about mental health. Shiftneeds to work with these groups, as well asjournalists, to promote better coverage inthe media.

There are six key areas in which the Shiftprogramme will work with the media, mentalhealth organisations and Government toimprove media coverage of mental health issues.

More ‘real life’ coverage of serious mental healthproblemsThere needs to be more proactive work in thisarea involving the development of clear messagesdispelling the myths relating to mental healthproblems and links with violence and crime. Shiftwill set up a ‘mental health newsdesk’ to helpplace positive stories with the media, re-positioning severe mental illness as a healthcondition worthy of reporting in its own right,rather than just a public safety issue.

Speakers Bureau - a better service for journalistsJournalists need the mental health sector to bequicker and more responsive to ensure balance inreporting. They also need easier access to peoplewith direct experience of mental health problemsand for greater trust to be built between themand those working in mental health. Shift willfund the setting up a Speakers Bureau that willtrain, support and pay people with mental healthproblems to be spokespeople. The programmewill also support carers and professionals workingin mental health services to work with the media.

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Guidelines for journalists

Building on what exists already, Shift willprovide a concise and pragmatic guide forjournalists on reporting mental health, withuseful contacts and key facts and figures. It willprovide practical, sensible advice on preferredlanguage for describing mental health. The aimis to create a guide which journalists will wantto use and will find useful.. Shift will make theseguidelines widely available in hard copy andonline.

Providing context in public statements

Shift, in partnership with the Department ofHealth, will continue to stress in publicstatements relating to mental health andviolence, the fact that violent crimes involvingpeople with mental health issues are rare andshould be seen in perspective.

Better coverage of mental health issues inmedia that reach targeted audiences

Young people’s media and media reachingpeople from black and minority ethniccommunities require more support to createmore positive coverage of mental health issues.Shift will commission work with both types ofspecialist media to investigate how they can besupported further.

Monitoring media coverage about mentalhealth issues

Shift will monitor media coverage on mentalhealth issues, praising good coverage andappropriately challenging bad coverage. It willalso survey a snapshot of national and regionalpress coverage each year. This will enable us tosee whether there has been any lasting changeover time in how mental health is reported andto measure any improvement against thebenchmark of this report. The proposed keyindicators relate to the coverage of: homicidesand crimes; needs and welfare issues for peoplewith mental health problems; the involvementof Government and civil servants; theinvolvement of people with mental healthproblems and carers; and broader coverage ofmental health issues in all forms of media. Shiftwill regularly publish its findings.

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What can the media do?

One in four people will suffer from mentalhealth problems at some point in their lives.This translates into more than 12 millionpotential readers and viewers across England.What can journalists do to respect the feelingsof this huge audience? You can:

on reporting mental health. Shift will beproducing new practical guidance forjournalists in association with the Society ofEditors and the NUJ. We will provide you withthis guide when it is complete.

mental health problem in stories aboutmental health. Most mental health charitieswill always be able to find someone suitablefor you. Shift will soon have set up itsSpeakers Bureau, which will serve as a one-stop-shop for journalists seeking a quoteabout mental health.

health that it is first and foremost as a majorpublic health issue, rather than a public safetyissue. Shift is setting up a ‘mental healthnewsdesk’ that will help to find stories thatwill help you broaden your reporting ofsevere mental health.

reporting crime and homicides without settingthem in context. Speak to Shift on 0845 2235447 or a mental health charity to get somebackground.

Don’t use terms, such as “maniac”, that couldoffend and reinforce existing stereotypes.

What can the mental health sector do?

and more responsive to the media to ensureits voice gets heard.

be supported to get their views across and tobuild trusting relationships with the media.

media when it covers sensational storieslinking violence and mental health andprovide a countervailing voice to thosefeeding public fears.

Shift in itsinitiative to provide positive stories for themedia, and it must redouble its own efforts topromote ‘normal’ stories about mental health.

with positive, relevant images and footage toillustrate pieces about their mental health.

Recommendations CONTINUED

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1 Department of Health2 Office for National Statistics, Labour Force Survey (LFS), August 2003, figures for England only.3 Department of Work and Pensions4 The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health 2003, The Economic and Social Costs of Mental Illness,

London: SCMH5 Mental Health and Social Exclusion, Social Exclusion Unit Report 20046 Office for National Statistics, 20047 Office for National Statistics, 20048 The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness

References

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T 01376 324747 E mike-o’connor@together-uk.org

For more information, please contact ShiftTel: 0845 223 5447

Email: shift@csip.org.uk

Web: http://www.shift.org.uk

The National Union of Journalists

supports Shift and the

recommendations in this report