Atresmedia and the Spanish Mental Health Confederation have joined forces to raise awareness about the reality of people with mental health issues and contribute to promoting a real and appropriate image in society through the work of the media. In this way, both entities aim to increase the awareness of journalism professionals about mental health so that they, in turn, can convey a real image of this group to society through the news they produce, avoiding stigmas and stereotypes.
The Corporate General Director of Atresmedia, Patricia Pérez, and the President of the Spanish Mental Health Confederation, Nel González, signed this agreement at the communication group's headquarters in an institutional event that also included the presence of Lucio Fernández (Director of Human Resources at Atresmedia), Susana Gato (Director of Sustainability and Deputy Director of the Atresmedia Foundation), Santiago González (General Director of Antena 3 News), César González Antón (Director of laSexta News), and Gracia de Miguel (Project Manager of Diversity and Volunteering) on behalf of Atresmedia, and Celeste Mariner (Executive Director of the Spanish Mental Health Confederation), Alejandro Guillén (Technical Director of Communication, Guidance, and Social Influence), and Laura Muñoz (Communication Technician) on behalf of the Spanish Mental Health Confederation.
“At Atresmedia Group, we are aware of the impact and responsibility we have as a media organization. With this agreement, and among other initiatives, we are going to train our communication professionals to avoid the stereotypes assigned to people with mental health issues, reinforcing Atresmedia’s social commitment to raising awareness in society through our content,” said Patricia Pérez, Corporate General Director of Atresmedia.
For his part, the President of the Spanish Mental Health Confederation, Nel González, emphasized that “the media play a fundamental role in the perception that society has of reality. With their help, we can reach society and overturn the prejudices and stereotypes that exist around mental health issues and the people who have them. We want to generate empathy and bring people closer to their daily reality,” he stated.
With the signing of this agreement between Atresmedia and the Spanish Mental Health Confederation, various initiatives are planned to raise awareness in society through the work of the media. Among these, training for journalists from the various Atresmedia newsrooms stands out, provided by the Spanish Mental Health Confederation based on the ‘Style Guide on Mental Health for Media,’ edited by the entity. This guide, aimed at communication professionals, will serve to focus some of the sessions on various topics such as the use of appropriate language in news writing, examples of good practices, first-person testimonies, resolution of frequent doubts, etc.
Alongside this training action, Atresmedia will disseminate awareness campaigns about this issue through its media outlets and will bring the reality of people with mental health issues closer to its employees through the organization of corporate volunteering initiatives.