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CHAPTER EIGHT WORKING WITH THE MEDIA

Introduction

8.1 Reflecting the importance 'see me' attaches to influencing media representations of mental health problems as a means for affecting attitudes, two of the objectives of the evaluation were to assess whether and how the practice of media professionals had changed since the launch of the campaign and to explore the experiences of the 'see me' media volunteers. To meet these objectives a web survey of media professionals was undertaken, interviews conducted with media volunteers and the media volunteer trainer and a small-scale content analysis of newspaper reporting completed. As indicated in Chapter 3 the media response to the web survey and invitation to participate in an interview was disappointingly small. The number of media volunteers prepared to be interviewed was also small.

Media volunteers

8.2 An important part of 'see me''s activities has been to develop a pool of media volunteers from across Scotland who are willing to talk to the media about their experiences of stigma and mental health.

8.3 To explore the extent to which 'see me' media volunteers felt able to make an impact in terms of raising awareness about stigma and discrimination and changing attitudes, interviews were undertaken with a sample of eight media volunteers and the media volunteers' trainer. It is recognised that those who indicated that they were prepared to be interviewed may be those most committed to being media volunteers and may not reflect the range of experiences among those who had been or were still media volunteers.

Perceived purpose of the media volunteers

8.4 Of those interviewed, seven had been invited by 'see me' to become a media volunteer through their connections with other mental health organisations. Four of the interviewees had previous experience of media work, although interestingly for three this had included negative media experiences. Previous bad experiences had involved feeling ill-prepared, being quoted out of context and not feeling in control of the content of the story.

8.5 The interview participants wanted to become media volunteers for a number of reasons. Most commonly, interviewees thought that it would give them the opportunity to raise awareness about mental health issues among the general public, to show what living with a mental health problem "is really like" and to illustrate that "it can happen to anyone". One individual wanted the public to be more aware about what to look out for as signs and symptoms of mental health problems. It was hoped that through doing this people would be more likely to speak about mental health issues and to seek help if needed.

8.6 Interviewees also saw the role of media volunteer as providing an opportunity to challenge the negative stereotypes that exist around mental health problems, particularly in the press, which was felt to associate mental illness with violent crime, and to represent those with mental health problems as "freaks". One interviewee talked about the media volunteers offering the opportunity to describe to the media and the public what stigma can feel like. It was also thought important to present positives stories of people coping with, and recovering from, mental health problems. Another suggested that they had become a volunteer to try to influence better practice with regards to how mental health problems are dealt with by employers.

Views on the training / ongoing support received from 'see me'

8.7 All of those interviewed had received training from 'see me' to prepare them for speaking to the media, although for one individual, this had happened some time after they had begun working as a volunteer. The media trainer indicated that the training provided to the 'see me' media volunteers was largely the same model as that provided to any other individual who was undergoing media training, whether from the corporate or public sectors. It was described by the trainer as providing "the authentic media experience" which would help prepare individuals for what it was like to speak to the media in real life.

8.8 All those interviewed had found the training to be a positive experience. The degree of learning depended to some extent on whether the volunteers had previous experience of working with the media, but all eight interviewees pointed to some positive outcomes from the training, even if it was only reassurance that what they had been doing previously was right.

8.9 Two elements of training were highlighted as being particularly beneficial by participants. First, the experience of taking part in a "mock up" TV and/or radio interview, which gave individuals some understanding of the processes involved and the opportunity to assess their performance in a supportive environment. Second, participants felt that they benefited from learning how the media operates, and how to maintain control in interactions with the media. Tips such as asking what the journalist wants to know, asking to read over draft articles, or refusing to be photographed in particular situations were all thought to be helpful and empowering for the individuals concerned.

8.10 The only negative comment about the training related to the length of the course. One individual felt it would have been more helpful to stretch the course out over two days, rather than one day, which for that individual made it a bit "rushed" and "tiring".

8.11 Alongside the training, the interviewees were very positive about the ongoing support they received from 'see me' in relation to their work with the media. Interview participants described how 'see me' were available to support volunteers before, during and after the interviews, as required. 'see me' took responsibility for setting up the interviews, and participants indicated that there was never any pressure put on them to take part if they did not want to. During the interviews a representative from 'see me' could accompany volunteers if required, to provide support and intervene if the volunteer asked. Finally after the interview had finished, 'see me' were available to de-brief the volunteer or to follow up any issues that the volunteer may have with the outcome of the interview.

8.12 It was suggested that not all volunteers required support from 'see me' at every stage. Indeed, it appeared that as the volunteers became more experienced in talking to the media, the less support they required from 'see me'. However, all interviewees indicated that they appreciated the fact that support was available if and when required.

8.13 It was evident from the interviews that the training and support received from 'see me' greatly improved the experience the media volunteers had of working with the media. Not only were individuals more confident in their roles, but as one interviewee remarked 'see me' were also there to "kick ass" if anything did go wrong.

8.14 A number of suggestions were made for how the support for the media volunteers could be improved. Three interviewees indicated that they would like the opportunity to meet up with other volunteers every so often to share experiences and provide peer support. Another individual suggested that 'see me' staff were not always available on the telephone when required, and that improved means for contacting staff would be beneficial, especially for those who were new to the media volunteer role.

Media experiences

8.15 Table 8.1 overleaf describes the range of media requests made and fulfilled by 'see me' media volunteers from 2002 onwards. This includes both requests for volunteers to speak specifically on issues relating to stigma and discrimination and for volunteers to speak in relation to other National Programme initiatives.

Table 8.1 Requests for media volunteers made and fulfilled by National Programme initiative

8.16 Reasons why requests for media volunteers were not fulfilled include:

• The story was declined by the media
• The opportunity was declined by the media volunteer
• There was no media volunteer available
• The opportunity was declined by another National Programme delivery agency.

8.17 Interviewees talked about the range of press, radio and television experiences they had taken part in through being a 'see me' media volunteer. Individuals had participated in interviews with local, national and UK wide media. Four interviewees had filmed talking head pieces for 'Talking Scotland', a series of short programmes transmitted by STV covering issues of importance to Scottish people. Two interviewees indicated that they had participated in interviews on behalf of other parts of the National Programme: one for Breathing Space, and the other for Choose Life.

8.18 Most of the media work interviewees had participated in what was described as a positive experience, with good outcomes. Individuals talked about how journalists had listened to them, and that the end results had been a good reflection of the key issues they wanted to get across. Not all interviews the volunteers had participated in had been broadcast or published, and while this could create some disappointment, it was felt that they had been well-prepared by 'see me' for this eventuality.

8.19 The one area where interviewees did describe difficulties was with press photographers and TV camera crews. Four interviewees talked about instances where photographers/camera crews had tried to film them in environments that had not seemed appropriate for the story, e.g. behind bars or in institutional settings. The volunteers described how they had learned from these experiences to be more vocal about what was not appropriate, or to contact 'see me' to get the picture cut from the article.

Impact of being a media volunteer

8.20 The media volunteers talked about the impact of being a media volunteer in a number of ways: impact on themselves, impact on the media, and impact on the general public.

Impact on media volunteers

8.21 Being a media volunteer had been a positive experience for all those interviewed. Individuals described how their media experiences had given them increased confidence and self-esteem and had contributed to their self-defined ongoing recovery. It had also enabled some to take up other public speaking opportunities in schools, and at conferences and events. One interviewee talked about the "kudos" which was associated with being a media volunteer, and how being a media volunteer was viewed as a mark of competence and skill by others in the mental health field. For another, the media contacts gained from being a media volunteer had proved to be useful in other areas of their working lives.

8.22 Less positive impacts experienced by the interviewees included a degree of emotional exhaustion which was associated with talking about one's own mental health. One individual had also received negative feedback from a family member in response to an article that they had not forewarned their relative was going to be published. However, it was thought that the benefits associated with being a volunteer far outweighed these drawbacks.

Impact on the media

8.23 The media volunteers felt they had made a contribution to changing the way the media presented stories to do with mental health. A number of interviewees talked about a "shift" in terms of the language used by the press, and the greater empathy that was now shown to the messages the volunteers wished to convey. The media trainer also talked openly about his own learning around mental health through being involved with the media volunteers. It was suggested that through the volunteers' willingness to talk about the reality of living with a mental health problem, that some of the stereotypes about mental health held by the press had been broken down. At the same time, 'see me''s ability to "kick ass" when things went wrong acted as a stick to the media volunteers' 'carrot'.

8.24 Nevertheless, it was recognised that there were still areas of the press where stigmatising attitudes towards mental health problems persisted, and that there was an ongoing need for the media volunteers, and 'see me' as a whole to play their part. Negative headlines and reporting, for example, still appeared from time to time. The media trainer suggested that there was also an ongoing temptation on the part of journalists to try and draw the emotion out of a story, and that it was therefore important for volunteers to remain focused on the messages they wanted to convey. One interviewee confirmed this by giving an example of a story where the journalist was keen to talk about the experiences of the volunteer's partner and children, against the wishes of the volunteer.

Impact on the public

8.25 From the perspective of those interviewed, one of the most rewarding elements of being a media volunteer was receiving positive feedback from members of the public, or family, friends and colleagues who had seen their interviews, and had been affected by them in some way, either through raised awareness or increased motivation to speak out about their own mental health problems.

Learning around what works with the media

8.26 The media volunteers and media trainer identified what they perceived to be factors for success in working with the media.

8.27 It was recognised that for the media volunteers to achieve their aims it was also necessary, within bounds, to give the media what they want. The media trainer was unequivocal that what the media want is "genuine stories", and that the media volunteers were in a very good position to provide this. However, at the same time both the volunteers and the trainer emphasised the importance of individuals sticking to their key messages, and not becoming drawn into the journalist's agenda rather than their own. This was a skill that appeared to develop as volunteers gained more confidence and experience in their role.

8.28 When asked about the skills required to be a successful media volunteer, the trainer pointed to empathy and communication skills as being key. It had been his experience that these qualities were something that the media volunteers had all demonstrated, and furthermore that the experience of having mental health problems had added to their ability to empathise and communicate with the public.

Media survey findings

8.29 To obtain a perspective on 'see me' from media professionals a web-based survey was distributed to 270 journalists via the National Union of Journalists ( NUJ). Despite this extensive distribution only eight responses were received. Of those responding, six worked within Scotland in regional/local tabloid print media. This very low response rate clearly precludes drawing any conclusions, and may suggest an area for further research, particularly given the importance of the media as a source of information on mental health and mental health problems. The following, does however summarise some of the findings to emerge from this small number of respondents:

• Six of the eight respondents indicated that stories about mental illness or about people with mental health problems came up in the work they did
• When reporting a story relating to mental health or mental health problems five of the participants indicated that they would look for background information (one would not; one was unsure). Sources of information included the internet (five responses); personal contacts and relevant organisations
• Five respondents felt there was a need for guidance on reporting mental illness and suicide in the media, one felt that guidance was not necessary, one did not know (one non-response). The two who were not convinced about the need for guidance suggested that this was either because they were "unaware of any problems", or because "common sense should be sufficient". Reasons given by those who felt there was a need for guidance included a perceived general lack of understanding of mental health issues among the media and an awareness of negative or inaccurate reporting
• Three respondents reported having used guidelines on reporting mental illness and suicide in the media. Guidelines used included: BBC Producer Guidelines; NUJ Guidelines (no further information available); Stronger Together (Glasgow) Guidelines (guidelines issues in relation to reporting stories about people with learning disabilities)
• Five respondents were aware of the 'see me' campaign (one person did not know; one was unsure; one non-response). Two people had had direct experience of the 'see me' press office and campaign website, both of these were also aware of 'see me''s own media guidelines, and were either aware of, or had direct experience of, the NUJ/'see me' guidelines. One person had had direct experience of the media volunteer programme
• Of the four respondents responding to the question whether 'see me' had influenced their own reporting, three indicated that it had not (one did not know). In one case this was because they had not covered any mental health stories, but for two it was because they felt they were already sensitive when covering mental health stories.

8.30 One additional comment suggests that awareness of the issue was not necessarily tied to awareness of a specific campaign:

"I can remember adverts on the telly about mental health issues, but I am not sure if these were part of the 'see me' campaign"

8.31 As discussed in Chapter 12 below, 'see me''s impacts may be to create a background 'noise' (in a positive sense) around mental health and mental health awareness, even without specific 'brand' recognition.

Media content analysis findings

8.32 One of the aims of 'see me' is to ensure balanced, accurate and fair media portrayal of people with mental health problems.

8.33 To examine media content relating to mental health issues over the course of the 'see me' campaign, a content analysis of three newspapers was conducted drawing on articles published in the three time periods: January - February 2002; April - May 2004; January - February 2007 (see Chapter 3 for details on the methodology).

Quantitative analysis of media coverage

8.34 A quantitative analysis of 'positive', 'neutral' and 'negative' headlines over the three time periods and three newspapers used in the analysis are summarised in Table 8.2.

Table 8.2 Headline ratings across time and newspapers

8.35 Overall, positive headlines do appear to increase: from about 10% pre-campaign to around 23% in the sample week in 2007. This is particularly so in the two newspapers starting from a low base: the Daily Record and Scotsman. There is less obvious change in relation to negative headlines, which stay at around 7-8% over the period.

8.36 Table 8.3 overleaf indicates the pattern for article content ratings over time. This seems to suggest a slight increase in positive reporting from just over 40% pre-campaign to 44% in 2007. Negative reporting, however, also appears to increase from 7% to 13% of items categorised. This apparent increase in negative content is consistent across the three newspapers sampled. What the table also reveals is the apparent decrease in absolute terms of all items with mental health content. The changes, however, have not been tested for statistical significance and the comparatively small numbers in some categories may exaggerate the degree of actual movement. What the data do begin to suggest, though, is the potential for change, but not necessarily wholly in the desired direction.

Table 8.3 Article content ratings across time and newspapers

*Notes to table: A number of articles were relevant to more than one of the above categories, thus the totals in the right hand column do not represent the total number of articles

Use of derogatory terms

8.37 In relation to specific derogatory terms, the use of 'nutter' was highest in 2002, prior to the commencement of the 'see me' campaign. The use of the term 'psycho' was highest in 2007. The Daily Record accounted for the majority of instances of uses of these terms, which were used in a variety of contexts, rarely in relation to someone with a diagnosed mental health problem. Neither term was used throughout the period by the Aberdeen Press and Journal.

First person and family accounts quoted

8.38 Over the period, first person accounts increased as a proportion of all items rated very slightly from 13% (n=18) to 15% (n=13), while items including quotes from families reduced from 16% (n=22) to 6% (n=5). The variability in relation to items including a family's personal account may be a function of the comparatively small number of these items in each time period.

Reference to mental health organisations

8.39 Over the period, reference in the text of articles to, and/or contact details for, a mental health organisation or an organisation with some interest in mental health, increased from 19% of articles to 28%. In 2004, two articles referred specifically to 'see me' in the context of responsible reporting in issues relating to mental health and as an avenue for gaining further information about mental health issues.

8.40 About half of all references to mental health organisations were in the Aberdeen Press and Journal.

Thematic analysis of content

8.41 The content analysis revealed a focus over the three time periods on six main themes:

• 'Celebrities' and mental illness
• Crime and court reporting
• Reporting suicide
• Mental health services
• Information, advice and comment
• State Hospital Mental Health Detention

Table 8.4 summarises these themes by year.

Table 8.4 Reporting of mental heath issues: selected themes by year

8.42 Perhaps not surprisingly, court and crime reporting appears consistently to yield the most negative reporting, though even here a substantial number of items were neutral.

8.43 Reporting of suicide was, in general, positive or neutral, as was that relating to mental health services. Frequently, the latter referred to the perceived under-funding of these services.

8.44 In relation to the State Hospital, the pattern of reporting reflects legal challenges to detention in both 2002 and 2007. In 2002, reporting in relation to people who no longer required the maximum security of the State Hospital but who could not be transferred due to insufficient regional secure units was generally rated positive. In 2007, reporting in the Daily Record and the Scotsman was more negative in relation to specific cases of people making a legal challenge to detention in conditions of maximum security.

8.45 Celebrities experiencing mental health problems, or speaking out in support of people with mental health problems, were generally reported positively or neutrally. The generally positive tone of reporting on celebrities experiencing or 'coming out' about a mental health problem would appear to underline the value of 'celebrity endorsement' to support activities aimed at tackling the stigma and discrimination experienced by people with mental health problems.

Key Points

• Media volunteers found the media training they had received a positive experience and also valued the on-going support from 'see me'. They had also found that most of the media work they had been involved in a rewarding experience. The one area of difficulty had been in relation to photographers or TV camera crews, who it was felt, had tried to capture images inappropriate to the story.
• In terms of personal impacts, those interviewed felt the experience of being a media volunteer had increased their confidence and self-esteem and contributed to their self-defined on-going recovery.
• Media volunteers drew on the positive feedback they had received from others to illustrate the positive impacts they had had on the public.
• In terms of the impact on the media those interviewed felt they had had a positive influence on the way the media reported stories and had begun to challenge stereotypes. The perceived persistence of stigmatising attitudes in some parts of the media, however, suggested to those interviewed the on-going need for media volunteers and for the 'see me' campaign.
• A web survey of media professionals yielded only a very small response. This precludes drawing any conclusions about the impact of 'see me' on the media. Given the importance of the media as a source of information on mental health issues this may be an area requiring further research.
• An analysis of three newspapers suggests that in terms of the content of articles there was a slight increase in positive reporting over the period immediately prior to the launch of 'see me' in 2002 to February 2007, but also an increase in negative reporting.
• Over this time period the focus of reporting on mental health or mental health problems included: 'celebrities' and mental health problems; crime and crime reporting; reporting suicide; mental health services; provision of information, advice and comment; and issues relating to the State Hospital or compulsory detention.

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