NSF(S): National Schizophrenia Fellowship (Scotland)

Media Awards by the Mental Health Awareness Group

Nicola Barry (centre) just after being presented with the Best Journalist Award by Rae Donnelly (left)
is congratulated by MHAG Chair Mary Lou McDermott (right).

The Vincent Donnelly award was presented by Rae Donnelly, wife of former Glasgow Journalist and former Convenor and founder member of the Scottish Users' Network to journalist Ms. NICOLA BARRY, of the Press and Journal for a series of articles which were written in a sensitive and compassionate manner.

George Ronald, Director of Scottish Users' Network spoke passionately as a former service user about the effect which positive and negative mental health reporting affected mental Health service users.

He commended the articles written by Nicola Barry and the other journalists who had received commendations, and spoke of the need for those journalists who had been nominated as being poor reporters to listen carefully and emulate the style of positive reporting of today's award winners, which gave him, hope for the future.

In echoing these sentiments, Mary Weir, Chief Executive of the National Schizophrenia Fellowship Scotland said she believed the Press shaped the way people in Scotland portrayed mental health rather than simply reflecting it.

Mary Lou McDermott, Chair of the Mental Health Awareness Group stated that the work of the MHAG would be an annual event. She congratulated and thanked the members of the Press who had taken the time to attend and said, " I look forward to working with you, and the other journalists in Scotland to raising the awareness of the needs of people who have mental health problems through positive reporting.

" If you take Nicola Barry's lead and treat the person you are writing about as a person first, with the diagnosis as a part of the person, but in a compassionate way, you won't go far wrong. "I think we have a way to go but today's event that has been in the planning and organising for almost two years with the major national mental health charities in Scotland actively involved, is a firm basis for us making the Vincent Donnelly Award an annual event."

In accepting the award of Best Journalist, Nicola Barry spoke of the need for mental health organisations and activists to have more trust in responsible journalists like her and those commended today.

She went on to say she was delighted to receive the award, which on a personal basis meant a great deal to her and hoped the success of today's event could be built on and that more journalists could see the need for events such as these which rewarded journalists for doing their job well.

At the end of a speech in which Nicola was visibly overwhelmed with her achievement, in an emotional acceptance speech, the first winner of the Vincent Donnelly award went on to say that she was not simply "sensitive " in her reporting, that is how she is.

"I write, how I would want to be written about, that's honest and that's how I am. I have done that for twenty years now and it is great to be recognised for it, this is one of the best days of my life." My job is dealing with people as human beings and I treat people as I would like to be treated myself. "

Commendations: (Journalist): MARIAN PALLISTER (HERALD) CATHERINE DEVENEY (SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY) DAWN THOMSON (ABERDEEN PRESS & JOURNAL)