Project Healthy Minds Partners with National Press Club For World Mental Health Day Event
From Newsrooms to Boardrooms: The Mental Health Revolution Arrives
As a leading mental health non-profit for the digital age, we understand the mental health crisis’ deep and far-reaching impacts. We hear stories of struggle, loss, growth, and hope from our community every day.
Through it all, one thing is clear: People need support now more than ever. The pandemic has exacerbated America’s underlying mental health challenges and revealed deep interconnections between mental health and other societal issues. Journalists have seen this firsthand, impacting both themselves and the communities they cover. In the workplace, employees’ expectations around mental health have been raised and they are demanding new solutions.
From newsrooms to boardrooms, a mental health revolution has arrived – and we’re taking note. In the lead up to World Mental Health Day on October 10th, Project Healthy Minds is partnering with the National Press Club to host one of the first-ever discussions about mental health and wellbeing in journalism. This landmark event on September 30th in Washington, D.C., will focus on the importance of supporting journalists’ mental health, and also the larger, growing mental health needs of employees everywhere.
Though not often discussed, journalists and reporters face numerous and enormous obstacles every day simply as part of their job description. The 24-hour news cycle never stops. It can feel as if the public expects reporters to cover the story regardless of how traumatic or emotional it may be. This is a pressure many of us face – the pressure to keep showing up, making an impact and pushing forward despite how we may be feeling inside. Journalists in the newsroom are joining a wider movement of employees in workplaces across the country who are demanding their leaders pay greater attention to their mental health and offer better solutions for support.
Founded in 1908, The National Press Club has become the World’s leading professional organization for journalists, providing both social and professional opportunities for members of the press. In looking to tell the mental health stories of those in the media, we felt that the National Press Club was the perfect partner to reach a wider audience and connect with those most affected. It is our hope that by organizing this event together, we can expedite this cultural shift while encouraging more reporting around the topic of mental health.
Throughout the morning, we are offering two ticketed sessions. The first, “Newsroom Fatigue: Navigating The 24/7 News Cycle”, will feature a candid discussion with reporters about the struggle to maintain objective focus despite fatigue and traumatic events. Featured panelists include Melody Schreiber, a columnist at The New Republic, Orion Rummler, a reporter covering LGBTQ+ and breaking news for The 19th, Patricia Zengerle, an award-winning journalist for Reuters, Jessica Washington, a senior reporter at The Root, and J. Raymond DePaulo, Jr., M.D., a University Distinguished Service Professor and Co-Director of the Mood Disorder Center in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
The second panel, “Mental Health as The Next Big Issue for Bureau Chiefs, CEOs, CHROs, Boards, and Investors”, will cover the changing expectations from employees related to mental health, how companies are responding and what’s next. Panelists include Andy Dunn, Co-founder of Bonobos and author of “Burn Rate: Launching a Startup and Losing My Mind”, Anna Johnson, the AP’s Washington Bureau Chief, Sabastian V. Niles, a Partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and our very own CEO and Founder, Phillip Schermer.
Tickets are available for both National Press Club members and the general public here. If you can’t join us in Washington, subscribe to our newsletter here to receive a recap of the event.
