Document detail

The media: improving how people with mental health problems are represented in the media. Summary of impact and learning.

Time to Change (2015), 5 pp.
"Our media advisory service was set up to provide advice and support on mental health storylines and documentaries. We inputted into 75 soap opera storylines, as well as mental health seasons for BBC 3 and Channel 4. We also developed an online resource for media professionals, and supported media organisations, including the Sunday Mirror, Channel 4 and Top Santé, to make a pledge to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination. We organised 12 meet the media events, mostly aimed at professionals working in specific sectors, including sports journalism, documentaries, and entertainment and reality TV. Our Get the Picture campaign, launched at an event for picture editors, encouraged media agencies to stop using stigmatising images to illustrate stories about mental health. What we achieved: Input into 75 soap opera and drama storylines; 12 events attended by 594 media professionals; 77% used their learning within two months of the event; 54,450 visits to our media online resource; nine media organisations signed a Time to Change pledge." (p.2)