Start Date
2000

Situation
Images in popular culture often depict people with mental illnesses as unpredictably violent. Often, these people are reduced to being referred to by diagnosis alone, stripped of their humanity. Rarely are people with mental illness portrayed as having families or jobs or as contributing to their communities.

Solution
Palmetto Media Watch strives to erase stigma by teaching that individuals with mental illnesses are our neighbors, our friends, and our families. They deserve respect and fairness.

Palmetto Media Watch aims to make the media allies in the fight against stigma. Media Watchers look for coverage of mental health issues and stigmatizing portrayals of people with mental illnesses in popular culture. Then, they give feedback on these incidents. Watchers also recognize and commend members of the media who accurately and fairly portray people with mental illnesses. All interested citizens are welcome to become Media Watchers.

Official Palmetto Media Watchers include SCDMH staff members, mental health advocates, clients and their families, and interested members of the public. Media Watchers write letters, make phone calls, or send e-mails to encourage media sources to portray people with mental illnesses and mental health issues or to correct their portrayals.

Results
Through increased training and recruitment activities, Palmetto Media Watch has grown to more than 50 active members throughout the State. The project also has developed a multimedia method for sharing information, including an electronic newsletter and an e-mail alert group. These approaches give Media Watchers immediate access to alerts and updates. They provide new, more efficient and effective avenues for responding to incidents of stigma in the media.

Palmetto Media Watch is committed not only to raising awareness of stigma in popular culture and its negative impact on the local community, but also to recognizing those members of the media who report on mental health issues responsibly.

Contact
Palmetto Media Watch welcomes any member of the community to join the fight against stigma. SCDMH provides training for anyone who is interested. To become a member, or to report stigma in the media, call SCDMH at 800-763-1024 or send an e-mail to Sue Perry at SUP52@scdmh.org or Tracy LaPointe at TLL06@scdmh.org. Please take a moment to view the Palmetto Media Watch Newsletter archive, located here: www.state.sc.us/dmh/mediawatchnews.htm. For more information about the program and to view training materials and other related documents, please visit the following site: www.state.sc.us/dmh/mediawatch.htm.