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Meet Megan Thompson: Recipient of a Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism

1,450 views · Published 19 April 2016 · 2:10 · Indexed 31 October 2026

Channel: The Carter Center · 2016 · Nonprofits & Activism

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In September, 18 journalists met at The Carter Center to discuss an under-reported health problem: mental illnesses. Half of the journalists had spent the past year working on mental health topics of their choosing. The other half was preparing to spend the upcoming year doing the same thing.

The meeting was part of the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, which aim to enhance public understanding of mental health issues and reduce stigma and discrimination against people with mental illnesses through balanced and accurate reporting. Each fellow is awarded a stipend and provided with two trips to The Carter Center to meet with program staff and advisers. Fellows join a cadre of over 165 current and former fellows from the past two decades. 

Megan Thompson, a producer and reporter for PBS NewsHour Weekend, said she never thought of herself as an insensitive reporter, but her Rosalynn Carter fellowship has made her more aware of the stereotypes about people with mental illnesses. Throughout the fellowship, she also focused on success and resilience. “It really kind of stuck with me,” she said. “For example, when talking about kids and poverty for my story on toxic stress, I didn’t want the story to come across as though we have millions of kids who are doomed. It’s a serious problem but there are ways it can be mitigated.”

Learn more about the Center’s Mental Health Program:
http://www.cartercenter.org/health/mental_health/index.html
 
Learn more about the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism:
http://www.cartercenter.org/health/mental_health/fellowships/index.html 


Founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter in partnership with Emory University, The Carter Center is committed to advancing human rights and alleviating unnecessary human suffering. The Center wages peace, fights disease, and builds hope worldwide.

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