Exeposé has been shortlisted in the 2016 Mind Media Awards for its mental health coverage over the past year.
The awards – organised by national charity Mind – celebrate the best examples of sensitive and responsible reporting of mental health in print and digital media.
Other nominees across the 11 categories include Victoria Derbyshire, Loose Women, Professor Green: Suicide and Me, Radio 2 Mental Health Week and Eastenders.
Congratulations to our #MindAwards nominees today! Check out the shortlist here: https://t.co/F2hk8vLWPd pic.twitter.com/OJk0yDY1UF
— Mind (@MindCharity) September 15, 2016
Exeposé is one of just four shortlisted entries in the Student Journalist category, awarded in memory of Anna Sargent.
The nomination praises Sarah Gough and James Beeson’s focus on “awareness, support and tackling the stigma of speaking out.”
Fiona Potigny and Eamonn Crowe’s investigation into male mental illness also features in the nomination (“The mind can’t man up,” Nov 2015) – alongside Sophie Harrison’s personal account of the struggles of seeking help in the city (“Exeter student slams Wellbeing Centre,” Feb 2016) and interview with Norman Lamb (Dec 2015).
This isn’t the first time Exeposé‘s mental health coverage has been recognised nationally. Both Potigny and Crowe’s investigation and Harrison’s interview formed part of the 2016 SPANC awards shortlist – with “The mind can’t man up” taking home ‘Highly Commended’ in the Best Feature category.
“I was delighted to hear that Exeposé‘s hard work in tackling the stigma surrounding mental health and speaking up has been recognised nationally,” Beeson commented on this latest nomination.
“The whole team worked incredibly hard to produce some really powerful and evocative content that made both my co-editor Sarah and I extremely proud.
Delighted that my old student paper @Exepose is shortlisted @MindCharity awards for our mental health coverage 👏🏻 https://t.co/GjcCnLnls2
— Sarah Gough (@sarahgoughy) September 16, 2016
“Special mention, however, must go to Sophie Harrison,” he continued, “for sharing her personal story, and for her tireless work in ensuring mental health was firmly on the paper’s agenda.”
“I hope this nomination can show all students that mental health is not a taboo,” Harrison herself commented. “The elephant in the room will always be given a voice at Exeter, so never feel you have to stay silent.”
“Against the backdrop of a difficult year, where I suspended my studies for health reasons, this is a true silver lining. It was a privilege to be part of such a brilliant editorial team!”
Winners will be announced on 14 November – with the Exeposé team heading to The Troxy, London for the ceremony.