Award success for JPIMedia team’s Veterans in Crisis campaign

The JPIMedia Investigations team has won a prestigious award in recognition of its work around mental health.
Pictured at the awards ceremony are, from left, Tim Robinson, content development director; Claire Wilde, data and investigations news editor; Cahal Milmo, i chief reporter, and Ruby Kitchen, of the Yorkshire Post. (Photo: Chris O'Donovan)Pictured at the awards ceremony are, from left, Tim Robinson, content development director; Claire Wilde, data and investigations news editor; Cahal Milmo, i chief reporter, and Ruby Kitchen, of the Yorkshire Post. (Photo: Chris O'Donovan)
Pictured at the awards ceremony are, from left, Tim Robinson, content development director; Claire Wilde, data and investigations news editor; Cahal Milmo, i chief reporter, and Ruby Kitchen, of the Yorkshire Post. (Photo: Chris O'Donovan)

The team picked up a Mind Media Award for its Veterans in Crisis campaign, which saw titles from across our group unite to highlight a lack of support for ex-service personnel experiencing post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression.

The Government had been accused of turning a blind eye to the issue, with the campaign revealing that the UK did not monitor the number of veterans taking their lives, unlike allies such as the USA, Canada and Australia.

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A series of hard-hitting articles and personal testimonies from veterans and their families ran in titles throughout 2018 and 2019.

The Government subsequently announced a raft of improved support measures and a major study into veteran suicides, with charities crediting the JPIMedia investigation for prompting the changes.

Tim Robinson, group content development director at JPIMedia, said: “We are really grateful to receive this award, it’s a vindication of the all the hard work put in by our investigations reporting team.

“Mental health issues among military veterans are not given the attention they deserve and the hidden epidemic of suicides in this community is a national scandal which demands to be recognised and tackled.

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“We are very grateful to Mind, and most importantly, to the ex-servicemen and their families who shared their many painful stories with our reporters in the course of this investigation – stories which had deep emotional resonance with our readers across the UK.

“It’s now over to the government to respond with commitment and action for ex-service personnel.”

Radio 1 DJ Greg James hosted the star-studded awards ceremony.

Other winners included actor David Harewood, who opened up about his mental health in BBC documentary Psychosis and Me, and ITV’s Lorraine Kelly for her taboo-breaking Shine a Light campaign.

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