Responsible media reporting on mental health
How we talk about mental health matters. The stories we tell can challenge stigma, shape public understanding and affect the people whose experiences are being shared.
At Twogere, we believe mental health storytelling should protect dignity, reduce harm and give people meaningful control over how their experiences are represented.
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Our principles
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Use respectful language: Describe people and their experiences without reducing them to a diagnosis or reinforcing stigma.
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Choose images with care: Avoid imagery that sensationalises distress or reinforces stereotypes. Use images that reflect dignity, agency and everyday life.
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Focus on hope and possibility: Mental health stories should not be defined only by crisis. Where appropriate, show support, recovery, resilience and pathways forward.
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Handle suicide and self-harm responsibly: Avoid methods, graphic details and other content that may increase harm. Focus on understanding, prevention, support and help-seeking.
Additional Resources
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Time to Change (by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness) offers a guide on how to report responsibly and reduce stigma.
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Interviewing young people
When young people share their mental health experiences, their safety, dignity and agency come first.
Before ​
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Obtain informed consent.
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Explain where and how the story will be used.
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Make clear that they can decline questions or withdraw.
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Agree boundaries before the interview.
During
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Let the young person set the pace.
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Avoid pressuring them for personal or graphic details.
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Allow breaks and stop if they want to.
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Focus on their experience in their own words.
After
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Be clear about what will be published.
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Check consent for photographs, recordings and identifying information.
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Where appropriate, give the participant an opportunity to review the final story.
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Respect any concerns they raise before publication.