Local King 5 News reporter, Ted Land, has been awarded the 2018 Washington State Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Media Award for his segment “Washington teens help peers confront suicide epidemic.” The piece highlighted the Forefront Suicide Prevention in the Schools program and Teen Link, a helpline through Crisis Connections.

The award, which includes a $500 prize, is jointly sponsored by Forefront Suicide Prevention and University of Washington Department of Communication’s Journalism Program to honor Washington State journalism that improves the public’s understanding of suicide prevention, behavioral illnesses, treatment, recovery, public policy and related topics.

View Ted Land’s winning segment below:

Submissions across Washington State were reviewed by a panel of four judges who identified key metrics for evaluation. The award required that submissions 1) clarified public understanding of issues experienced by people living with mental health challenges, thoughts, attempts or completion of suicide; 2) conveyed hope, recovery, and resiliency in the lives of people who are living with mental illnesses, recovering from substance abuse or suicide ideation; 3) shed light on the importance of mental health treatment and suicide prevention in the community; and 4) avoided terms and descriptions that contribute to stigma or suicide contagion, including in the headline and other graphic elements.

The judges’ panel was impressed with Land’s entry about teens helping their peers confront the suicide epidemic. The segment talked about its strong sense of community, the hope it offers, the discussion of stigma, and how to reduce it.

Ted Land is a multimedia video journalist at KING 5 News, where he shoots, writes and edits stories on a wide range of topics. He has earned five Emmy awards for his work, and a National Edward R. Murrow award for writing.

Previous winners are Bill Radke and Matt Martin of KUOW; Deborah Horne, Michelle Millman, and Monique Ming Laven of KIRO News; Diana Hefley of Everett Daily Herald, Jacob Jones of the Inlander; Leah Sottile of the Pacific Islander; Maureen O’Hagan of Pacific Northwest Magazine and the Seattle Times; and Scott Hewitt of the Columbian.

Our 2018 Judges Panel:
Wayne Lynch
Beth Hammonds
Thomas May
Bill Radke

For more information, contact Kristen Morgan, Communications and Development Manager at Forefront Suicide Prevention.