Mind, the mental health charity has announced Scott Mills from BBC Radio 1 will host their Mind Media Awards 2013.
Actress Olivia Colman will also guest present an award at the event, which honours the best portrayals and reporting of mental health problems across broadcast, print and digital media.
The media has amazing power to inform and to inspire. It has a duty to tell the truth about mental health problems and in doing so, challenge the painfully outdated opinions that many people still hold.
This is why I’m so proud to host this year’s Mind Media Awards, sponsored by Virgin Money Giving, to celebrate those in the industry who have stepped up to the plate, recognised the stand they can take to crush stereotypes, and told the real story of mental health. – Scott Mills
Through candid press interviews and his autobiography Love You Bye, Scott has detailed his own battles with anxiety and panic attacks from a young age. His unguarded honesty has given confidence to many others, to in turn speak out and seek help for their own experiences.
I believe authenticity is at the heart of any drama worth its salt – it’s as true for costume design as a character’s accent, but it’s vital that programme makers understand there’s no exception when it comes to the portrayal of mental health problems. The media industry has huge influence and with that comes a responsibility to contest the stigma that sadly still exists, through accurate representation. – Olivia Colman
This year marks 20 years of the awards and the charity’s ongoing work to challenge sensationalism and misinformation about mental health problems in the media. The 2013 shortlist has been announced, to include Stacey Solomon’s documentary for BBC Three Depression, Teen Mums & Me, Channel 4’s My Mad Fat Diary and Glamour magazine’s print campaign Hey, It’s OK. For the full Mind Media Awards shortlist, click here.
The gong show is sponsored by Virgin Money Giving. The event will be held at The British Film Institute on Monday the 18th of November.
Source: atvtoday.co.uk – Scott Mills and Olivia Colman to host the 20th Mind Media Awards
