Topic Tuesday **closed**: The media and mental health

I agree @Sienna we can't all be good at our jobs! 😉

@CherryBomb There are a couple of different issues here. Court and crime reporting is of course focusing on when things go wrong, this includes for example when mental illness is used as a defence in court for a crime. Good crime and court reporters will only mention a mental illness when it is directly relevant to the story or mentioned in court. They aren’t out to upset anyone, they are simply reporting the goings on in the criminal justice system. Where we do see irresponsible reporting is when a journalist mentions a mental illness out of context, it’s the same as when it’s inappropriate to mention someone’s race or sexual preference when it isn’t relevant.

When it comes to celebrity, the news value of prominence comes into play. Stories about celebrities are popular because we care about their lives or their work, therefore we will be drawn to stories about their journeys with mental illness. Take AFL player Buddy Franklin for example, there was a lot of media coverage of his journey with mental illness and we all read it!! It can get a bit same-same but it also provides an essential conversation starter, think about how many conversations about mental illness and sport were started by that reporting.

In journalism it’s very easy to fall back on a particular formula for a story when reporting on mental illness because it’s difficult to report the complexity of certain issue. We interpret things as humans through a human lens, so we want human stories of mental illness, not just facts and figures. It is possible to encourage journalists to report in different ways, to challenge stereotypes, but I think some essentials of journalism as I mentioned above, won’t change. Just as what makes us read/listen/watch a story won’t change.

I really enjoyed all of the Mental As programs that I saw - I thought most struck a good balance of practicality, hopefulness and showing the tough stuff.

I don't actually have too much of a probem with the various fictional portrayals of mental illness in media - there is a period of adjustment, just as there was with homosexuality, where the DEFINING feature of the character is the 'hook', but as time goes on and it becomes more mainstream it gets absorbed and becomes one of the facets of a good three dimensional character (ok so there aren't that many of those anywhere!) instead of the defining feature. It becomes less 'the episode in which we learn about <diagnosis> with a cautionary moral' and more about what is actually happening within the greater story arc.

sorry for my focus on Fictional media, I don't actually consume much in the way of news/current affairs/ entertainment media type stuff. I do love a good doco though.

I can't really comment too much as i am fairly uneducated in regards to mental illness, i just know my story and what affects me, but i have noticed a rather large rise in, news reporting that the reason why this person or that person or the crime was because of this and or that, is seeming to be just blanketed with either they were an drug user or had mental illness

how can there have been such a huge rise in this in the last couple of years?

is it easier to blanket everything or am i just being naive?

Doco fan @chookmojo ? Did you watch Changing Minds? What did you think of that?

@kato sometimes it seems like a rise because of the media attention, when there actually isn't. Take the ice "epidemic" for example, most services haven't report in a rise in the use of the drug, rather an increase in the number of people presenting for help because of the symtoms of using it. I think sometimes we can saturated with bad news from court and crime reporting but it sometimes doesn't represent the whole picture.

@CherryBomb I think it has to do with the fact that the regular, everyday, mundane and banal really don't get media attention. It is extremism all the way, whichever end of the spectrum you are looking at. Joe's normal day doesn't get ratings/buyers or advertiser interest - Joe has to be somehow exciting or unique. The world as consumed through media is a funhouse mirror, by its very nature it distorts reality and appeals to vouyerism.

I think that blogging can provide much more real world glimpses into everyday life for people who would otheriwse be marginalised or sensationalised - but the internet is a platform fraught with risk.

Hi @kato

Nice to see you! It's been a while.

When you say that there has been a rise is this something that you have observed?

I did @Former-Member - I really enjoyed it - thought it was very balanced and quite senstive to the subjects on both sides of the system.

So true @chookmojo - as the old saying goes, 'if it bleeds, it leads'.

Though as @Former-Member not all media outlets are like this, and things are getting better.

@Former-Member are there guidelines/regulations with how journalist should report MI?