The Carter Center announced the recipients of the 2013-2014 Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism today. Selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants, the 17th annual class of fellows includes six from the United States, two from Romania, and for the first time, two teams from Colombia. (See below for a full list of fellows and their project topics.)
“At The Carter Center, we have been working for almost two decades to develop a cadre of journalists who can have a significant impact on the public’s understanding of mental illnesses,” said former First Lady and Carter Center Co-Founder Rosalynn Carter. “These journalists are making important contributions to lifting some of the stigma associated with mental health issues.”
Mental illnesses are among the most common health conditions in the world, yet sensationalized news coverage or underreporting of these issues can perpetuate public misunderstanding and prevent people from seeking effective treatment.
Carter Center fellows receive intensive training from leading mental health and journalism experts and a USD 10,000 stipend (or a comparable amount for international fellows) to report on a mental health topic of their choice.
Previous fellows have produced more than 1,300 mental health-related stories, documentaries, books, and other works during and after their fellowship year. Their projects have garnered multiple Emmy awards, nominations for the Pulitzer Prize, an Edward R. Murrow award, and awards from Mental Health America, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the American Psychological Association, American Psychoanalytic Association, Amnesty International, and the Association of Health Care Journalists.
The fellowship program is part of the Carter Center’s Mental Health Program, which works around the world to provide the public with accurate and balanced depictions of those with mental illnesses to reduce stigma and discrimination. The program also seeks to increase access to mental health services and inform mental health public policy.
2013-2014 Recipients of the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism
The U.S. recipients are:
Christie Aschwanden
Independent Journalist
Cedaredge, Colo.
Topic: Examine the silent plague of mental health problems among children of veterans.
Rick Goldsmith
Independent Filmmaker
Berkeley, Calif.
Topic: Tell the compelling story of WNBA star Chamique Holdsclaw and her experience with mental illness through the documentary “Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw.”
Jonathan Martin
Editorial Writer/Columnist, The Seattle Times
Seattle, Wash.
Topic: Examine what Medicaid expansion promises for public mental health care.
Naomi Jenise Morgan
Editor/Writer, The Florida Courier
Riverview, Fla.
Topic: Explore the stigma, misunderstanding and lack of information about mental health and mental illness among African-Americans in Florida and around the country.
Amy Standen
Science Reporter, KQED
San Francisco, Calif.
Topic: Document the Bay Area’s Prevention and Recovery in Early Psychosis (PREP), a community-based effort to address schizophrenia.
Cindy Uken
Health Care Reporter, The Billings Gazette
Billings, Mont.
Topic: Explore what happens to suicidal youth and youth with mental illnesses who are on a waiting list to get into one of the state’s acute care facilities.
The Colombian recipients are:
Silvia Camargo Abello and María Cristina Castro Pinzón
Semana
Topic: Explore the mental health impact of armed conflict within five regions of Colombia hit especially hard by the violence.
Fernanda Hernández Martínez and Paula Andrea Bedoya Sánchez
Caracol Televisión
Topic: Examine the challenges of preventing, diagnosing, and treating depression within Colombian society and the country’s medical community.
The Romanian recipients are:
Cosmin Bumbuț
Freelance Photographer
Bucharest, Romania
Topic: Bumbuț and Stancu are collaborating on a multimedia project examining post-traumatic stress disorder in children exposed to family violence.
Elena Stancu
Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Marie Claire Romania
Bucharest, Romania
Topic: Bumbuț and Stancu are collaborating on a multimedia project examining post-traumatic stress disorder in children exposed to family violence.
