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Press Release

April 10, 2006

Winners of the 2006 James S. Hogg Award for Mental Health Reporting Announced by the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health

AUSTIN, Texas-The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health has announced the winners of the second annual James S. Hogg Award for Mental Health Reporting.

Named for former Texas governor and newspaper editor James Stephen Hogg, the award was created by the Hogg Foundation to recognize exemplary journalism that educates the public about mental health and counters negative beliefs about mental illness.

Jennifer Autrey of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram took first place for her October 2005 article "Questions Linger after Woman's Death." The article is a look at the tragic death of a young woman with mental illness who ended up in a Tarrant County jail after having been unable to find appropriate treatment.

Second place was awarded to Cindy V. Culp of the Waco Tribune-Herald for her April 2005 article "Downsized Mental Health System Leans on Police." The article explores the link between the decreasing availability of public mental health services and the resulting rise in police contact with people who have mental illness.

Mary Meaux of the Port Arthur News won third place for her moving account of her own depression for her December 2005 article "There is Help for Depression," in which she challenges misconceptions about the disorder and informs readers that treatment does work.

As part of the award, the first-place winner will receive $1,000, the second-place winner will receive $500, and the third-place winner will receive $250.

A distinguished panel of judges reviewed the entries. The judges included a New York Times science writer and psychiatrist, a National Public Radio correspondent and Rosalyn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellow, and a leading researcher on media portrayals of mental illness.

The winning stories and more information about mental health reporting will be posted on the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health's website: www.hogg.utexas.edu.

For more information about the James S. Hogg Award or the Foundation's other programs to support mental health journalism, please contact: Laurie Alexander, Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, 512-471-5041.