According to the Rosalynn Carter Fellowship website, informed journalists can have a significant impact upon public understanding of mental health issues as they shape debate and trends with the words and pictures they convey. They influence their peers and stimulate discussion among the general public, and an informed public can reduce stigma and discrimination. Mental illnesses constitute some of the most serious, unrecognised, and under-reported health problems in the United States and around the world. Designed to help reduce stigma and discrimination, The Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism provide grants to journalists to study topics related to mental health or mental illnesses. Fellows are encouraged to select topics that are unique and creative. Projects may educate the public, raise awareness, and inform other journalists in the field. The Carter Center provides resources through its network of consumer, family, provider, and managed care groups, as well as government agencies.

The fellowships aim to:

• Increase accurate reporting on mental health issues and decrease incorrect, stereotypical information.
• Help journalists produce high-quality work that reflects an understanding of mental health issues through exposure to well-established resources in the field.
• Develop a cadre of better-informed print and electronic journalists who will more accurately report information through newspapers, magazines, radio, television, film, and the internet, and influence their peers to do the same.

No standard application form is used. The application packet must be mailed (no faxes or e-mail accepted) and must include the following: a resume, project description, samples of professional work, and letters of reccomendation and support. Application packets and letters of recommendation and support for must be postmarked no later than Monday April 17 2006. Items postmarked after the deadline will not be accepted.
Queries and application packets should be sent to the representative in the relevant countries below.

Click here for more information about the fellowship and application.

Click here for a list of previous winners.