Atresmedia and Confederación Salud Mental España continue working together to promote societal awareness of mental health. This time, they have done so through training sessions for 40 journalism professionals, helping them identify and avoid stigmas and stereotypes in the news they produce.
The sessions were held at Atresmedia's headquarters in February, conducted by the communication team of Confederación Salud Mental España, and were based on the "Style Guide on Mental Health for Media" published by the organization.
The training covered key aspects such as the use of appropriate language in news writing,examples of good practices, first-person testimonies, and clarification of common doubts.
Belén Gómez del Pino, a journalist at Onda Cero, shared her thoughts: "These sessions are extremely valuable. First, because they help journalists see how our work is perceived from the outside and the impact it can have on people. Second, because they provide us with reasons beyond the usual guidelines. In this case, for example, explaining why suicide methods should not be reported. And third, because they bring us voices we don’t always hear, allowing us to put ourselves in the shoes of those who experience these challenges."
Antonio Campos, a journalist at La Sexta Noticias, stated: "In our daily work, we rarely get the opportunity to closely listen to colleagues who deal with such specific realities. These sessions have truly been enriching. They provided us with essential tools for our work and, most importantly, guidance on how to approach and cover stories related to mental health. They reminded us of the importance of including first-person testimonies that shed light on, rather than stigmatize, the reality of people with mental health issues. They also helped us identify, through practical examples, reporting practices that reinforce biases without being supported by solid and proven experiences. Lastly, they encouraged us to continue reporting on mental health issues, emphasizing how crucial it is to bring these topics to the forefront of social debate, analysing their causes to fully understand their scope."
Paz Bailón, a journalist at Antena 3 Noticias, highlighted: "This training is incredibly useful. They provided us with key insights on how to cover mental health issues in a proper, dignified, and responsible way. The recommendations from the Confederación Salud Mental team on how to use images in audiovisual media and how to frame certain topics to avoid stigmatization were particularly valuable. Most importantly, the training emphasized the role media can play in prevention."
