Katie O’Connor, a senior staff writer at Psychiatric News, likes to say there is a mental health angle in almost any story.
At a July 21 webinar hosted by the National Press Club Journalism Institute and produced through its Public Health Reporting Fellowship, O’Connor shared the best practices for covering mental health as a public health issue.
O’Connor — a reporter covering mental health advocacy and legislation who previously worked with the Virginia Mercury and the Richmond Times-Dispatch — spoke to viewers about the importance of finding the mental health angle, interrogating data, and cultivating sources who are close to the issue.
Finding the mental health angle
O’Connor emphasized that there is a mental health angle in almost any story. She said mental health is frequently left out of conversations like those about AI, substance use, education, and climate change, and those are spaces to find fresh stories.
“Reporting on public mental health inevitably leads us into reporting on a lot of other issues and systems, as well,” she said. “All the biggest social issues we are dealing with right now are public mental health issues. They’re just not always framed through that lens.”
O’Connor reflected on a story she wrote that had initially been about pedestrian fatalities at a crosswalk but morphed into a story about mental health and neglect at an assisted living facility. This evolution happened because she was able to look both “upstream” and “downstream” for her reporting, or in other words, how the situation came to be and what consequences could arise.
Working with data
O’Connor mentioned the need to familiarize oneself with resources and databases for mental health reporting, and to engage critically with them and the data they might provide. With recent cuts to federal agencies and the people who staff them, some data may be incomplete, and some agencies may be less willing to begin new studies without the guarantee of funding.
“The environment right now in mental health care is making organizations on the ground nervous and is causing them to act more conservatively,” she said. “They’re not going to take risks on new projects because they’re worried that funding will be pulled out from under them.”
When one does find a data set for their reporting, O’Connor said it is best practice to ask certain questions of the data before analyzing it, like which demographics were included in the survey, how categories were measured, and how many people were surveyed. This helps reporters get a better sense of the data and what conclusions they may be able to draw from it before they even look at the numbers.
When it comes to scientific studies, O’Connor recommended avoiding any that are more than two years old because of how fast the information can evolve. She also said that journalists shouldn’t be afraid to find and reach out to the researchers themselves, as they are often very proud and eager to share their work.
Identifying sources
Identifying meaningful sources is essential for mental health reporting. O’Connor underscored how crucial it is for journalists to seek out those who have lived experiences with mental health conditions to bring a firsthand perspective to their reporting; she also spoke on how important it is to ensure that every source knows what it means to speak with a reporter. She reminded the audience to walk interviewees through what it means to be on- and off-record, and how they have the right to switch between the two during a conversation.
“Remember how vulnerable these populations are,” she said. “Remember how much progress has been made in expanding access to care and prevention, but how much work still has to be done. Remember that reporters can play a really pivotal role in educating the public and speaking up for those who cannot.”
O’Connor advised reporters to become familiar with local advocacy groups and aid organizations who can then introduce them to potential sources. An introduction via a familiar face is very helpful for building trust, she said.
O’Connor also noted the importance of reporting on solutions and breakthroughs that have happened in the mental health space instead of only focusing on challenges that people with mental health conditions face.
“These are really heavy topics for a lot of people,” she said. “But there’s also a lot of hope, and I think we would be remiss if we just focused on the negatives and didn’t point to the positive interventions that we know can work.”
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