Waterford News & Star journalist scoops top mental health media award

Waterford News & Star journalist Shannon Sweeney was scooped the top award in the regional category at the Shine Mental Health Media Awards.

The article, nominated in the Regional Print and Online category, was titled ‘The Waterford families sleeping on the streets just to stay together’. 

Speaking to the Waterford News & Star, Shannon said, “People who sleep on the street are an underrepresented group in reporting. There are several reasons for that, but, nonetheless, the impact is that in both discussions on homelessness and mental health, this particularly vulnerable group of people tends to be talked about more than to.

“I am honoured that some of those people in Waterford trust me with their stories, and I hope that this award will highlight the daily struggle they have to endure. In highlighting that, I hope it brings about some change for those people and people like them," Shannon said.

She encouraged people to follow the work of Waterford Helping the Homeless, a local group supporting people on the ground "of one of the country’s biggest crises". 

"They are all volunteers and receive no state assistance for what they do. Despite that they are there in Waterford City every morning and sometimes afternoons and nights too.

“I know that any and all support, including raising awareness, is very important to them."

She added that if people take anything from her coverage of ‘The Waterford families sleeping on the streets just to stay together’, it would be "that these are people who are doing their very, very best to survive in a society that is not always as kind as it could be”. 

Shine’s Media Programme recognises excellence in Irish media coverage of mental health across all platforms. The awards celebrate journalists, producers, editors and content creators whose work improves public understanding of mental health, challenges stereotypes and fosters informed discussion.

Shine CEO Nicola Byrne said: “The public’s perception of mental illness is shaped, to a very large degree, by how it is portrayed in media. That is an important responsibility. With these awards, we celebrate outstanding journalism that improves understanding, challenges stereotypes, and fosters informed discussions about mental health.” 

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