Media information
Media information pack
Download an electronic copy of the Media Information Pack:
media-information-pack.pdf [PDF 188KB]
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Breathing Space
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Breathing Space
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Media volunteers
If you are a journalist looking to find out more about Media Volunteers please contact Lesley Morton at Stripe Communications on 0131 561 8628.
The Reporting of mental health and suicide by the media
We in the media carry an enormous responsibility to deal with certain issues in a sensitive and thoughtful way.
The NUJ in Scotland has conducted a series of surveys on health issues in the workplace, topics such as bullying, long hours and the consequences they can have on people's mental health. Well-respected NUJ member Derek Masterson's powerful and eloquent first-person account of the toll depression can take, and how indiscriminate it can be, is a lesson we should take on board.
There is no excuse for ignorance when the information in this guide is before you. Here it is. It is in the nature of the environment in which we work that we can sometimes be numbed to the desperate circumstances people find themselves in and the implications that the language we use can have on those affected.
The NUJ is committed to the highest professional and ethical reporting standards, particularly in regard to the most vulnerable and exposed members of society. Indeed it is at the core of our Code of Conduct. It is about maintaining journalistic standards but also a matter of basic humanity.
Media workers in their presentation of events can make a difference. This guide will hopefully make it for the better.
The NUJ Scotland would like to thank the Scottish Executive's National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Well-Being for supporting the development and production of this guide.
Paul Holleran
NUJ Scottish organiser
A practical guide for journalists
To read the full guide, download the PDF here:
NUJ-Guide.pdf [PDF 2.7MB]
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