I was contracted by national mental health charity SANE Australia to perform a three-month contact as a Media Advisor. In this role, I managed the day-to-day activity of SANE’s StigmaWatch program, which promotes the responsible reporting of mental illness and suicide. I worked closely with Mindframe Media and the Australian Press Council to ensure the quality of reporting and portrayal of mental illness and suicide-related issues by Australian media outlets. I also produced content for SANE’s website including press releases, fact sheets and guides on mental illness and suicide, blog posts, email newsletters and social media updates.
Due to my success in this role, I have an ongoing relationship with SANE Australia and regularly freelance for them as a digital content producer and social media strategist. I write, edit and proofread a wide range of communications on mental health including fact sheets and guides, peer-reviewed studies, blog posts, job ads, email newsletters and social media updates.
Below is a range of content that I have written, edited or helped develop.
https://www.sane.org/mental-health-and-illness/facts-and-guides/narcissistic-personality-disorder
https://www.sane.org/mental-health-and-illness/facts-and-guides/bpd-what-does-recovery-look-like
https://www.sane.org/mental-health-and-illness/facts-and-guides/perinatal-mental-illness
https://www.sane.org/mental-health-and-illness/facts-and-guides/obsessive-compulsive-disorder
https://www.sane.org/mental-health-and-illness/facts-and-guides/bpd-focussing-on-carers-wellbeing
https://www.sane.org/adrc/current-adrc-projects/national-stigma-report-card
https://www.sane.org/about-sane/hocking-fellowship
https://www.sane.org/careers-at-sane
https://www.sane.org/changing-attitudes/peer-ambassadors/2132-sane-peer-ambassadors
https://www.sane.org/the-sane-blog/wellbeing/five-ways-to-reduce-stigma-in-the-workplace
https://www.sane.org/the-sane-blog/wellbeing/nine-great-books-about-living-with-mental-illness
https://www.sane.org/the-sane-blog/mental-illness/what-is-the-dsm-your-questions-answered
https://www.sane.org/the-sane-blog/wellbeing/how-to-connect-when-you-feel-alone
https://www.sane.org/the-sane-blog/my-story/cameron-on-how-mad-are-you
https://www.sane.org/the-sane-blog/wellbeing/what-you-need-to-know-about-relapse-in-bipolar-disorder
https://www.sane.org/the-sane-blog/wellbeing/giving-voice-to-mental-illness-and-trauma
https://www.sane.org/the-sane-blog/my-story/you-cant-ask-that
https://www.sane.org/the-sane-blog/wellbeing/can-exercise-help-manage-symptoms-of-bipolar-disorder
https://www.sane.org/the-sane-blog/mental-illness/breaking-down-the-stigma-the-final-barrier
https://www.sane.org/the-sane-blog/wellbeing/behind-the-scenes-leonie-newton
To raise awareness of SANE’s StigmaWatch program, I resurrected the defunct Stigma Files blog and created a fresh template for reporting outcomes. By focusing on the issue, the result and why it mattered, I highlighted why it’s so important that media professionals make informed choices about the language and images they use and the messages they convey when reporting on mental illness and suicide.
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https://www.sane.org/stigma-files-2018/2201-stereotypes-can-hurt
https://www.sane.org/stigma-files-2018/2244-mental-illness-is-not-a-weakness
https://www.sane.org/stigma-files-2018/2200-why-limit-information-on-suicide-method-and-location
https://www.sane.org/stigma-files-2018/2199-scrubbing-the-glamour-from-suicide-deaths
https://www.sane.org/stigma-files-2017/2124-all-too-common-problematic-terms
https://www.sane.org/stigma-files-2017/2123-the-importance-of-offering-crisis-information
https://www.sane.org/stigma-files-2017/2122-the-tricky-topic-of-euthanasia
https://www.sane.org/stigma-files-2017/2121-why-minimising-details-matters
https://www.sane.org/stigma-files-2017/2120-reporting-celebrity-suicide
https://www.sane.org/stigma-files-2017/2119-right-message-wrong-vocabulary
https://www.sane.org/stigma-files-2017/2118-when-language-counts
https://www.sane.org/stigmawatcher-q-and-a/2245-q-a-with-dean-martin
https://www.sane.org/stigmawatcher-q-and-a/2193-q-a-with-heidi-everett