This article is from the front page of the Daily Mail newspaper, which reported on the recent plane crash that occurred in the Alps this week. The full headline reads 'Suicide pilot had a long history of depression WHY ON EARTH WAS HE ALLOWED TO FLY?' In this article, the Daily Mail suggests that there was a link between this pilot's history of mental illness and his decision to take the lives of 150 people by crashing a plane. This highlights so many things that are wrong with mainstream journalism today. Things that need to be filtered out of the media. 

Firstly, this article clearly hasn't been particularly well researched. A quick search for the symptoms of depression reveals that suicidal thoughts are indeed a symptom. Murderous thoughts, however, are not. The compulsion to take your own life differs dramatically from the thought process that led to this crash. Someone who suffers from a mental health problem doesn't get the urge to kill 150 people. That desire comes from the person themselves. When a journalist referred to this incident as suicide, the Marseille Chief Prosecutor quickly rebuffed this notion, saying: 'When you're responsible for 150 lives, that isn't a suicide, so that's why I won't use that word.' None of the officials on this case have been referring to this incident as suicide either. They're calling it what it is - a mass-slaughter. This wasn't a suicide and this article, therefore, isn't reporting the truth of the matter. Even if this was a suicide, surely some sensitivity could have been brought to this report, instead of just branding this man as a 'killer'?

Secondly, there are the repercussions of this article to consider. This report is blaming a man's decision to kill 150 people on his mental health history. This assumption is hurtful and wrong. It is branding sufferers of mental illness as potential murderers, which is highly inaccurate and only contributes to the already crushing stigma that exists around these issues. How is a person suffering supposed to feel like they can reach out and get the support they need for their conditions, when they feel unjustly judged in this way? How are people supposed to learn to manage their conditions when they are told that others have killed people because of theirs? The stigma in these reports only add to the problem. Mental illnesses, if left untreated, can manifest themselves in horrendous ways. It is only if these conditions are handled with the sensitivity they deserve, that things will improve. 
This article also suggests that if you are mentally ill, certain jobs shouldn't be available to you. It states this a little less eloquently than I do now though. What kind of statement to make is this? Was it this man's fault that he had a mental health condition? No. Why should he not be able to reach his potential then? Why should people be told they can't? What hope does that give them? Keeping mentally ill people out of certain jobs will not keep people safe. Reducing stigma will. If stigma didn't exist, sufferers of mental illness would feel better able to inform their employers of their conditions. This would mean that they could get the support they need from their employers and this would ensure the wellbeing of everyone involved. No one would have to suffer alone or do anything drastic, like crashing a plane. The safety net here is constant communication about mental health, not shunning the mentally ill. If this man had felt able to convey his mental state before he got on that plane, perhaps I wouldn't even be writing this now. 

This type of journalism, based on fear mongering and sensationalism, doesn't have a place in society anymore. It only contributes to the problem. By signing this petition, you are making a statement. You are saying that you don't accept this type of insensitive, stigma-boosting reporting. The Daily Mail owes it to society to get rid of this report (and any of its kind) and publicly apologise. Nothing less will do. 

Please sign. Let's show those affected by mental health conditions that they do matter and they are not alone.