By Christiana Afua Nyarko
Accra, March 29, GNA – The Empowering Better Life Foundation (EBLF), a Non-Governmental Organisation committed to advocacy on mental health issues, special learning needs, and ethical leadership development, has empowered journalists on responsible and ethical reportage on mental health and special needs issues.
The orientation workshop in Accra was to equip the journalists to generate reports aimed at breaking societal stigma, stereotypes, myths, misconceptions surrounding mental health and special needs matters.
It served as a platform to guide media personnel on how to employ appropriate language, words and terminologies in news story reportage to promote empathy and a culture of inclusivity for individuals living with such conditions.
Mrs Alma Adade-Prempeh, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of EBLF, during a media interview, challenged media personnel to initiate more open conversations on such issues to raise awareness and curb marginalisation of persons living with mental health and special needs challenges.
“We don’t talk about it much, but mental health really is critical. And I believe that if we are able to cultivate a culture of open conversation, where people can talk about it freely, without the stigma associated with it, it would go a long way to prevent marginalisation,” she said.
“…And we need to have a society that is caring, has compassion. A society that is caring, accepting and understanding…”.
Dr Josephine Darko, the Deputy Head of Communication at the Mental Health Authority, during her presentation on the media’s role in mental health advocacy and awareness, charged personnel to uphold respect, verify for clarity and understanding and avoid assumptions and sensationalism in their reportage when it came mental health issues.
“Whenever you are writing or reporting, you need to look at reporting with respect because remember, mentally ill persons are first persons. And that is why we don’t want to say things like: oh! She’s bi-polar. She’s not bi-polar but rather, she has bi-polar disorder or she is being treated for bi-polar disorder. So, we don’t define a people by their condition…”, she said.
Dr Darko urged journalists to avoid giving vivid details on sensitive issues such as suicide, to avoid a possible negative influence on mentally ill persons experiencing such urges.
“Suicide is very sensitive and there has been a lot of research that looks at the suicide contagion. So, the theory is that suicide is contagious. So, when you are reporting suicide, how you report it, what you say, will lead to a cascade in the ensuing weeks and months especially when it has to do with someone like a celebrity…” she noted.
“…We have to be careful about describing in detail what the person did because there is something called copycat suicide and somebody will take that reportage and replicate it… so, we have to be very cautious.”
Mrs Hannah Awadzi, a Journalist and Executive Director, Special Mothers Project, who did a presentation on reporting on children with special needs for impact, challenged journalists to let their reportage empower children with special needs conditions and their families.
The reports must help to showcase their potentials and talents as well as leave a positive impact that drove visible transformation in their lives, she said.
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