Review of News Reports Planned

In an effort to better understand how mental illness and suicide are portrayed in news reports, a Department of Health committee is asking Nova Scotians to take part in a six-month review of newspaper articles that refer to these issues.

"We want to make sure mental health issues are addressed appropriately in the mass media, and we're asking people who deal with these issues to help us make that judgement," said Health Minister Angus MacIsaac. "This initiative will show us if and how media need more guidance and education."

The department's Anti-Stigma/Discrimination Working Group is working in partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association, Nova Scotia Division (CMHA) on the review.

"We are approaching this initiative with an open mind," said Carol Tooton, executive director, CMHA Nova Scotia Division. "We are hoping to find that the print media is, indeed, treating mental illness and suicide with appropriate language and is respectful of the people who have these illnesses. If this is not the case, however, we need to act."

The initiative is open to all citizens of Nova Scotia and runs from March to September. Starting today, March 1, participants will be asked to review articles they find in their newspapers using one of two checklists (mental illness or suicide) to gauge whether the coverage is appropriate.

The checklists ask the reader to judge several things including:
headlines, words used to describe people with mental illness, whether stereotyping is prevalent in the piece, if suicide is "sensationalized" and if medical terms related to mental illness are used appropriately.

"The working group members know this is not a scientific analysis, however, we expect that people who have mental illness and their family members will be involved. These are opinions we value," said Dr. Steven Kisely, chair of the Anti- Stigma/Discrimination Working Group and chair, health outcomes, department of psychiatry, Dalhousie University.

Each time a participant submits a news article with a completed checklist, he or she becomes eligible for prizes. The prizes will be drawn in October 2004, after all the submissions are gathered and reviewed by the committee.

After the media initiative is complete, the committee will decide if more educational information about mental illness and suicide should be provided to the media.

Checklists and more information about this initiative is available from the Canadian Mental Health Association, Nova Scotia Division and from the Department of Health's website at www.gov.ns.ca/health/mhs .