Headlines of Horror: Schizophrenia Portrayals in News Media

About this episode

This episode explores the negative media portrayals of schizophrenia and the impact of linking mental illness to violence, featuring insights from industry professionals.

“Paranoid schizophrenic admits to attacking dog walker.” When we watch a horror movie, we know the “madman” on screen is a work of fiction. But when the nightly news leads with a diagnosis to explain a tragedy, the fear it creates is very real — and often permanent.Why does the media lead with schizophrenia only when the story involves violence, yet remain silent when it comes to stories of recovery, hope, and humanity? In this hard-hitting episode, host Rachel Star Withers (who lives with schizophrenia) explores the Lead with Fear phenomenon — the dangerous journalistic trend of linking a diagnosis to a crime before the facts are even in — and why schizophrenia seems to have the worst PR team in the world. Later in the show, we sit down with two media heavyweights who are using their platforms to overhaul how the world views mental health.: Janet Yang, an Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning producer and former President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Frank Kosa, an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker for National Geographic, the History Channel, and A&E. Listener Take-A-Ways: why "paranoid schizophrenia" is an obsolete clinical term that journalists…

People in this episode

Host: Rachel Star Withers

Guests: Janet Yang, Frank Kosa

Topics covered

• media portrayals of schizophrenia
• mental health stigma
• journalistic ethics
• violence and mental illness
• stories of recovery
• Lead with Fear phenomenon

Keywords

• schizophrenia
• media representation
• mental health
• journalism
• recovery stories
• stigma
• Lead with Fear

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, National Geographic, History Channel, A&E

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