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You can take action to make sure the media mind out for mental
health.
Accurate and fair?
In 1996, almost half of national press coverage linked
mental ill health to violence and criminality. In fact,
people with mental health problems are far more likely
to harm themselves than others. The public are more at
risk from young men under the influence of alcohol. |
Surveys by the mental health charity Mind
have shown that negative media portrayals have a direct and
damaging effect on people with mental health problems:
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60% blame media coverage for discrimination
in their daily lives. |
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24% have experienced hostility in their
neighbourhoods as a result of negative media coverage. |
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50% say unfair media coverage has a negative
effect on their mental health. |
Become a media minder
Use your 'pester power' to stamp out stigma in the media.
If you see, hear or read that you think is inflammatory, inaccurate
or unfair, use this page and the
sample letters and media
address book to make your voice heard. You can also get
more info about the campaign, including a media minder
card to keep as a handy reference for taking action on
stigma and on media discrimination.
Check out www.howtocomplain.com
for more advice giving your complaints real clout.
Pester the press
1
Clip the offending article and write on it
the publication title, the date and page number. |
2
Marshall your facts and arguments. Write a short, compelling
letter to the letters page. Copy your letter to the editor
and ask for a reply. |
3
If you don't get a satisfactory reply, contact
the Press Complaints Commission for advice about what
to do next. |
Pull the plug on TV and radio
1
Log the title, date and time of the programme
and exactly what you found offensive. |
2
Telephone the broadcaster while programmes are being transmitted.
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3
Send a letter or e-mail to the producer or station
manager the next day, when you've had a chance to think
through your arguments. Ask for a reply. |
4
If you don't get a satisfactory reply, serious
complaints are dealt with by the Broadcasting Standards
Commission, the Independent Television Commission or the
Radio Authority. |
Stay alert to adverts
1
Make a note of the ad, product, date and time
and place you saw it, and precisely what was wrong with
it. |
2
Send a short, well argued letter to the Managing
Director of the company. |
3
Serious complaints about ads or promotional
material in print are dealt with by the Advertising Standards
Authority; broadcast ads are dealt with by the Independent
Television Commission or the Radio Authority. Use our
media address book
for contact details, and check out our easy to use sample
letters. To give your complaint added punch, why not
visit our facts
page? |
The good, the bad, and the biased
Don't forget to give praise where it's due. Public support
for positive media coverage can be very influential. Use the
carrot as well as the stick!
You can also nominate print journalists for Mind's
Bigot of the Year and Journalist of the Year awards. And the
best of broadcast coverage can be nominated for the Mental
Health Media Awards.
| The mind out for mental health campaign has launched
Mindshift, a new initiative to help people in the
media to address the challenges – and opportunities –
in reporting mental health issues. Find out more on our
media info page. |
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