Globe and Mail reporters take two out of three Mindset Awards for Workplace Mental Health Reporting

LONDON, ON, May 30, 2021 /CNW/ - Reporters for The Globe and Mail took two of the three top honours in the prestigious 2020 Mindset Awards for Workplace Mental Health reporting, announced last night during a virtual awards gala.

Erin Andersson took the top Mindset prize for her feature article published in January 2020, titled: Half of Canadians have too few local psychiatrists, or none at all. How can we mend the mental-health gap?  With extensive data and interviews with more than two dozen psychiatrists across Canada, it showed how working conditions and practices contribute to a shortage of mental health services for Canadians who need them most.

Zosia Bielski, also with the Globe, was awarded an Honourable Mention for her piece published in August 2020, titled: In sickness and in health: COVID-19 pandemic stress tests marriages of health care workers on the front lines. Doctors, nurses and personal support workers bring home fear, stress, guilt and helplessness after traumatizing shifts.

A further Honourable Mention was awarded to reporter Samantha Beattie and editor Eva Lam for their data-based investigation published last July by HuffPost Canada, titled: Police crisis teams are in short supply as mental health calls multiply in Canada. The journalists contacted police forces across the country to piece together a national survey that showed most wellness checks are still carried out by officers trained only to respond to crimes, rather than by specialized teams trained to act more appropriately. HuffPost Canada ceased operations in March, 2021. The link above is to an archived copy.

Presentation of the Mindset Awards took place within the annual awards gala of the Canadian Association of Journalists, held virtually this year. A 15-minute video in which the winners discuss their stories is available on the Mindset website.

The Mindset Awards for Workplace Mental Health Reporting are offered annually by the Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma, a federal charity, which publishes the journalist-to-journalist guides Mindest: Reporting on Mental Health, and its French counterpart En-Tête : reportage et santé mentale, of which more than 9,000 copies are in use across Canada. The French equivalents of the Mindset Awards were announced on May 6. Both awards are sponsored by Workplace Strategies for Mental Health, compliments of Canada Life.

Forum president Cliff Lonsdale said: "All of the work recognized by the independent jury tackled significant policy issues, digging out or bringing attention to troublesome facts and treating them in a thoughtful but forthright way. This is journalism at its best, demonstrating that the days when mental health issues often weren't discussed openly in the public interest are well behind us. Congratulations to all involved."

Mary Ann Baynton, Director, Collaboration and Strategy, Workplace Strategies for Mental Health, said: "Stories told by journalists have the power to motivate and inspire us. By teaching us about difficult situations, addressing needs and gaps and shining a light on unsung heroes and organizations, they can spark meaningful changes in our society.  Workplace Strategies for Mental Health is proud to support these awards and help recognize journalists for doing just that."

The Awards for reporting on mental health in connection with work are the first in a series of awards for reporting on mental health issues that the Forum is developing. New annual Mindset and En-Tête awards are in preparation. They will recognize excellence in reporting on mental illness and suicide among young people.

"We will be announcing details of these prizes and their sponsor in the coming days, with the first presentations planned for 2022 for excellent work published or broadcast in 2021," said Forum president Cliff Lonsdale.

The Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma is a non-profit and charity dedicated to the physical safety and mental well-being of journalists, their audiences and the people on whom they report. We acknowledge general support for the Forum from CBC News, Radio-Canada and The Globe and Mail. We thank Cision for the publication of this news release.

SOURCE Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma