MediaWatch

MediaWatch seeks to address stigmatisation in the media. For mental well-being to become more than just an idea in New Zealand it is crucial that mainstream media reporting of issues and events is free from the promotion of damaging stereotypes and stigmatisation. Currently our major news outlets are more focused on generating sensationalist headlines than they are with providing information or promoting positive attitudes; this is something that needs to change.

Our goal is to keep an eye on current events and how our communities are being portrayed in the media, so we can offer feedback to reporters and editors in an effort to ensure better representation and engagement on issues that affect us.

If you see something in the media that you would like to comment on, contact campbell@changingminds.org.nz

 

Stigma and the Media

Violence is the central element in television representations in 66%[1] of items about mental illness. This figure corresponds with the Royal College of Psychiatrists” 1998 survey, where 70% believed that people with schizophrenia are violent and unpredictable.

At the other extreme, people with mental illness are frequently portrayed as victims, pathetic characters, or ‘the deserving mad’[2].

These stereotypes are about selective perceptions that place people in categories, exaggerating differences between groups (‘them and us’) in order to obscure differences within groups.

As with racial prejudice, stereotypes make people easier to dismiss, and in so doing, the stigmatiser maintains social distance.

As part of the ‘them and us’ strategy, mental disorders have also been conferred with highly charged negative connotations of self-infliction, laziness and criminality.

The media perpetuate stigma, giving the public narrowly focused stories based around stereotypes. On a more positive note, the media are a useful location to begin the search for negative representations and adverse attitudes to mental illness, and ultimately the media will be the means of any campaign that aims to challenge and replace the stereotypes.

We are proud to announce the launch of a new initiative called MediaWatch, which seeks to address the portrayal of issues related to the sector in the media.

If you see something in the media that you would like to comment on, contact Campbell: campbell@changingminds.org.nz

Our goal is to keep an eye on current events and how our communities are being portrayed in the media, so we can offer feedback to reporters and editors in an effort to ensure better representation and engagement on issues that affect us.