stigmatising headline in The Sun, “Schizo is caged for killing ma”

RETHINK NEWS UPDATE EXTRA – The Sun at it AGAIN

At the beginning if April we alerted you to a stigmatising headline in The Sun, “Schizo is caged for killing ma” we know that 6 people complained to the Press Complaints Commission , we know that some of you complained directly to The Sun and received letters saying; “We constantly strive to give satisfaction and value, and I can assure you that your viewpoint will be heard and discussed at the highest level.....I hope you feel that your letter and the views it contains has been read carefully and its contents acted upon...Please feel free to write on any subject...your opinions from a valuable part of the policy-making and continued success of The Sun.”

We were contacted by a Rethink member who had spoken to the Press Complaints Commission and was informed that they had contacted The Sun and the sub-editor responsible had been disciplined.

One month on and The Sun has done it again.

“Sorry” for stabbing by schizo appeared on page 7, today Wednesday 6th May 2009, as their headline for the story on the report findings that a pregnant mother of 5 was killed by a man with schizophrenia whose care was mismanaged by the Mental Health Trust. He was found to have been “under treated”.

Again, it is completely legitimate to report that an independent review has been published , its findings and the details of the case but you may feel that the choice of headline is unacceptable. Please see attachment for scanned article.

If you do feel strongly, you may want to write to or email the editor of The Sun and / or the Press Complaints Commission. Last month 6 people complained and the sub-editor was, reportedly, disciplined, if we follow this up and more of us get in contact than the impact will keep growing.

You may feel that contacting The Sun and the Press Complaints Commission won’t change the world but added to the atmosphere we are creating with Time to Change an on-going challenge of inappropriate language use will add to making a real difference– this is how society’s view of a subject is changed. The movement to make homophobia socially unacceptable in the mainstream took decades of sustained effort.

You can make a complaint with the Press Complaints Commission.
Their Code of Practice, point 12 i) states; The press must avoid prejudicial or pejorative reference to an individual’s race, colour, religion, sexual orientation, physical or mental illness or disability.

Link to the code of practice
http://www.pcc.org.uk/cop/practice.html

Link to details of how you can complain
http://www.pcc.org.uk/complaints/process.html

If you want to contact The Sun
Please remember that the Sun only prints very short comments or edits readers’ views down to very short points. If you are aiming to get your comments published, to give it the best chance, please try and sum up your point in 50 words or less.

You may feel that it is unlikely The Sun will print any letters pointing out their is language in unacceptable and want to write a longer letter allowing you more room to make your feelings and reasoning clear. If you choose to take this option please still try and keep to 200 words maximum and stick to an informative tone.

Either approach is great.

Points you may want to include that specifically relate to the word “schizo”;
Whilst I appreciate that this is a news story and that Benjamin Holiday’s mental health condition is relevant to the case to refer to him as a “schizo” does not add to the facts, all it does is turn a mental health condition into a term of abuse. (49 words)
Mental illness still carries a taboo; language like “schizo” reduces someone to their diagnosis in the most derogatory way using playground-taunts. (22 words)
· NHS Yorkshire and Humber should be sorry that their care led to two families being devastated. You should be sorry that you continue to use playground taunts like “schizo” when reporting the news. (34 words).
1 in 100 people in the UK have schizophrenia; with over 7 million readers at least 7,000 people who read your paper and their families must have schizophrenia. The term “schizo” is simply an unacceptable term of abuse. (39 words).
1 in 100 people in the UK have schizophrenia with the current UK population at 60 million then there must be six hundred thousand people living in the UK with schizophrenia – clearly violence is not a symptom of mental illness yet the tone of your report implies it is. (50 words).
Other points that refer to the article more generally;
There are 600 homicides a year in England and Wales, the overwhelming majority, 91% are committed by people who DO NOT have a mental illness* yet this article implies the opposite is true and peddles the myth all people with schizophrenia are dangerous. (45 words).

*National confidential inquiry into suicide and homicides by people with mental illness 2006.

Additional points to include if you contacted The Sun before and are doing so again.
· I wrote to you about exactly the same issue in April, your letter said “We constantly strive to give satisfaction and value, and I can assure you that your viewpoint will be heard and discussed at the highest level”. I don’t feel assured, your letter went on to say “I hope you feel that your letter and the views it contains has been read carefully and its contents acted upon”. Your headline today makes me feel the exact opposite. You went on to say “your opinions from a valuable part of the policy-making and continued success of The Sun.” I would be more than happy to meet with you and discuss your policy on reporting mental health issues.


To contact the Sun
Email: letters@the-sun.co.uk
Address: The Editor
1 Virginia Street
Wapping
London
E98 1SN

Please remember to mark your letter for the editor and for publication if this is what you wish. If want it to be published you must provide your name and address even if you are e-mailing but please say you want them withheld if you don’t want them published.

You must say which article in which edition you are referring to whether you want your comment published or not;

Dear Editor,
Re your article “Sorry for stabbing by schizo published Wednesday 6th May 2009

Please let me know if you write or e-mail to either, or both, The Sun or The Press Complaints Commission. Thank you.

Rethink, the leading national mental health membership charity, works to help everyone affected by severe mental illness recover a better quality of life. We provide hope and empowerment through effective services and support to all those who need us and campaign for change through greater awareness and understanding. To continue our work and build on what we have already achieved, we depend on our members. You can join today at http://www.rethink.org/get_involved/join_us/index.html, email membership@rethink.org or call 0845 456 0455. Together we make people Rethink.

Kind regards

Vicky Trimikliniotis
Interim Senior Media Officer
Rethink
020 7840 3146

Working together to help everyone affected by severe mental illness recover a better quality of life.Visit http://www.rethink.org/Please join us today www.rethink.org/joinDownload and buy Rethink publications at http://www.mentalhealthshop.org/Rethink
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