Then on tuesday, october 4, Vice President ial candidates governor mike pence and senator tim kaine debate at Longwood University in virginia. On sunday, october 9, Washington University in st. Louis post the second president ial debate. Leading up to the third and final debate between Hillary Clinton and donald trump taking place at the adversity of nevada las vegas on october 19. Live coverage of the president ial and Vice President ial debate on cspan. Listen live on the freeseas fan radio app free cspan radio app or watch online at cspan. Org. The republican political consultant and longtime friend of donald trump talks about mr. Trumps campaign strategy. What to expect from the debate and issues that could affect the election. P. M. Akers today at 6 00 eastern on cspan. Mental Health Experts talk about it Media Coverage has an influence on the soldiers and veterans considering suicide. This runs an hour and 15 minutes. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to this mornings roundtable discussion, the second of four roundtables and will be held this year posted by the department Suicide Prevention program. A big thank you to cspan for filming this mornings event and also for our journalists and our media that have come this morning, specifically from military. Com and our stars and stripes partners. Thank you to other media folks in the room. My name is keita franklin. I am the director of the defense Suicide Prevention program. Today, we will hear from senator smith. Senator smith is the president and ceo of the National Association of broadcasters since 2009. Prior to this position, he served two terms in the u. S. Senate from oregon. Senator smith has a personal story to share today. I know you will appreciate time with him this morning. We will also hear from marie dayak, the president and ceo of the Entertainment Industry council. She is a member of the National Action alliance who we work every closely with. She is an enemyawardwinning producer. Finally, we will hear from colleen clarke, from the the National Action alliance. These are professionals it come together regularly to put plans in place for Suicide Prevention for the nation. Colleen is the secretariat of the National Action alliance and a manager of the policy and strategic partnership. She has over 10 years of experience working in Public Health and Suicide Prevention. Finally, im honored to introduce rosemary williams. She is the assistant secretary of defense for Public Affairs for the department of Veterans Affairs. The department of Veterans Affairs is a key partner in our efforts to prevent suicide. Why are we here this morning . Two communities coming together in the media, journalists coming together around developing a common approach really for saving lives, i think. Our Work Together is critically important. Suicide prevention is probably one of the only fields that is so important that we come together around a common language in common approach. We know that words matter. And we know that we dont want to inadvertently ever accidentally do harm or say the wrong thing. So i couldnt be more pleased to have a conversation about this and bringing together folks to talk about this tough issue is near and dear to my heart. We have a lot of ground to cover. I suggest we go ahead and get started if that is ok, senator smith. Senator smith thank you. May i express appreciation to each of you for being here. Our thanks my thanks to the , department of defense and the Defense Office of Suicide Prevention. This is the work of the mind and of the heart. And it is an issue where those who put their shoulder to this wheel, i would say that you work on the side of angels. I come to this meeting with you by invitation. Certainly nothing i say or that i hope you will hear today suggests that any of your rights in the media to express express yourself are in any way infringed. What we are here today is to learn from one another. I will tell you on a personal level, i suppose the reason i was invited here is that when i went to the u. S. Senate, i knew virtually nothing about the issues of psychology or psychiatry. I knew in my own life i could probably count the down days i had on one hand. And two of those days were days i lost elections. [laughter] that said, my wife and i, in 1981, adopted a beautiful infant boy by the name of garrett lee smith. Garrett was a tenderhearted boy. He was handsome. He was good. But he was born with i think a very special challenge in life. And we know tragically too late that he was a manic depressive, bipolar, and the day before his 23rd birthday he took his life in his college dormitory. So i had to learn too late, tragically too late, as Many American parents do. And i would tell you that i found in my service in the i hope im known for good, but certainly the best did in the u. S. Senate was to pass Mental Health legislation, that my colleagues named after my son and that led to many other breakthroughs in terms of Mental Health legislation as it relates to insurance, defense, Veterans Issues and many more things, and to the everlasting credit. I will say this as a republican, to our president who is a democrat, included in the Affordable Care act is a requirement that Mental Health parity be there. I am very proud of that and hope that, however reforms occur they future, that that is a corner stone of Health Care Policy in america. If you have physical health and you do not have Mental Health, you do not have health. I think it is important for all of us to remember however you register politically, this issue does not register republican or democrat. This is a human issue. It is something that our society is on the frontiers of understanding. And dealing with. And in dealing with it, i say this out of deep, deep respect, as one in broadcasting now, i count myself as part of the media. The media has a tremendous opportunity, if not an obligation, to understand this issue and to report on it in a way that will better inform the American People and parents like sharon and i were about the signs of suicidal tendencies and the resources and affordability of Mental Health treatment in our age and its ability as never before to help people to lead good and productive lives. As you think of from a Historical Perspective some of our greatest artists, our greatest musicians, our greatest statesman. Abraham lincoln comes to mind, Meriwether Lewis of the ways of discovering. Winston churchill. These are all people thats troubled with serious Mental Health issues. And in the case of lincoln and churchill, they managed to make it through and to do great good. So we all have a stake in Mental Health. And Mental Health touches most american families, either directly or indirectly or through a neighbor or a relative. So it behooves all of us to become informed and know the resources, know the signs, and know the availability of treatment. So my thanks sincerely to all of so my thanks sincerely to all of you in the Defense Department and in the media for your interest in this most important issue that really is a lifeanddeath issue. As the ceo of the National Association of broadcasters, i was called to the white house following the unspeakable tragedy that happened at the Sandy Hook Elementary School by my friend, our Vice President , joe biden. He and i served as a their chairman our Ranking Member of the European Affairs subcommittee for many years. He called together all the people in various aspects of the media to basically ask what could we do . And the conversation started about issues like content, what can we do to change content, issues like cant like gun control, how can we advance that cause . And it came a point in the discussions where joe, as i call him, or our Vice President , turned to me and said what do you think . I said, well, mr. Vice president , you know as well as i do there is no federal court in the land that will allow you to dictate content to those in the media or in the entertainment business. So you are bound by the first amendment. And when you go to gun control, you are bound by the second amendment. You know as well as i do how impervious an issue that is to change. But i said, at the root of most, not all, but most of these terrible gun tragedies, there is the issue of affordability and excess ability to Mental Health. And he said, what can we do about it . I said there is something you can do about it because this is an issue that does unite our hard politics. He knew, because he was my real brother in past and in passing Mental Health he knew, because he was my real legislation, that we could bring the American People around this issue because it is not partisan. I then volunteered the broadcasting industry to do something about it. And i am very proud of my podcasters all over the country who, independent of their dues, we raised a Million Dollars to produce a series of ads in english and spanish, both for radio and for television, and it was called ok to talk. It was a Multi National platform directed at young people, specifically teens, like my son garret was. So they ran the ok to talk ads on radio and television and raise and accepted 44 Million Dollars of free air time the results in a single year are astonishing. Over 700,000 people went to the internet site called oktotalk. Org and they shared their stories and they found places they could get help. And of the 700,000 that went to the side, 140,000 people clicked the button i need help, and they were able to get and who knows how many sandy hooks out of that 140,000 that sought help may have been averted. So this was a great effort. It is ongoing. It is ongoing. I think sansone has been involved in it. The National Institutes of health have been in it. Nami is continuing to lead in it. We are hoping that this effort continues. I would be remiss if i did not note murray dayak who is here from marie dayak who is here from the Entertainment Industry. Theyve done terrific work. So we are thankful for all that you do, marie. But what the ic continues to do is to provide online tools, including Mental Health facts and social media guidelines for journalists. Guidelines, not dictates. You still you you still have your freedom. Your freedom is unimpaired. The make a mistake, you helped to shape attitudes and beliefs that people have about Mental Health. If you have a relative who gets cancer, you dont think poorly of them for that. You help them. But Mental Health can be just as lethal as leukemia. And so it deserves that same kind of respect. So these are guidelines for journalists in the Entertainment Industry to encourage deeper reporting and more accurate depictions of People Living with Mental Illnesses. Im also very proud of the Associated Presss movement a few years ago to include in its ap stylebook language suggestions for how to treat this important and sensitive in shoe sensitive issue. We are proud we have held trained and help train and lay the conversation and help reporters have a greater understanding, a more keen awareness of the resources that are available to the media that will better informed reporting of Mental Health issues. The truth and also truth that is constructive and helps people and saves lives. Again, as i began, i said to those of you who take this issue seriously and see it as a social responsibility to speak the truth, you do the work of angels. Thank you for having me as part of this roundtable discussion. Keita thank you, senator smith. I hope you know what a treasure you are senator smith . Ive been caught up ive been called a lot of words [laughter] keita the policy experience and your personal strength around this, this is the second time i have had the opportunity to hear the center to speak. I always learn something and im sure you all this morning due as well. I know we are eager to hear from you, marie say you can share more in depth. Marie thank you. Senator smith, thank you. That was very gracious of you. The work that we have in doing with the broadcasters in some of the newsrooms, for whatever we can to bring in the stakeholder groups, the one thing that i came away from as i experienced is that stakeholders are interested in talking to the local media representatives, to tell their stories. And the broadcasters are interested in hearing them directly share their stories with them. But the notion of Community Service is one that i was not aware of and the opportunity to take part in the awards program that broadcasters have the most remarkable sense of Community Service that i have ever experienced. I dont know if it is by design nine by design or people go into social service, but rod casters, when it but broadcasters, what ive learned, is that they have a First Responder team. We dont always think about it that way. Im giving them something that they dont want, but thats how i see it. Cities with floods or hurricanes or any kind of major crisis during the holiday season, they are part of the First Responder team. I think sharing our ideas through the Associated Press, that was a remark will experience. Thank you. [laughter] somebody wants to hear this. All right. [laughter] so the Associated Press was interesting in terms of taking that role and creating the first chapter on reporting on Mental Health. I remember at the time, brian and senator, you are working on getting the interest in this. When it was complete in the chapter came out i think it was in 2013 it was very interesting. Summit he asked me, well, wheres the branding . And i said, when you really want the right messenger to cure the water, it gives us that branding. And the Associated Press owned that product. And they are the ones and i have the copy of that press release a clear directive. Theres no way a special Interest Group could take on that role and with the credibility that ap has. It was very interesting. They bought into it. There were very directive. And we are fortunate to be among groups to provide resource material. That was just groundbreaking. That was amazing. Another thing that provided training in college with broadcasting stools. A Young Journalist would take this and say what is the big deal . They didnt know that style guide premetal held. They just assume that has always been there. As they move preMental Health. They just assumed that it had only been just to let them know that there are new avenues, new resources as we report on this very difficult issue. Do think, if he had to go into that school, i dont know what that would be like good kids that age at home, they may have been in that school. What we realize is that they were suddenly entering a crime scene. This wasnt an elementary school. This was a parents night. This was a crime scene of terrible proportions. And as the press approaches them, i can only imagine what they want to say because they have experienced the unsuitable. But instead, what we hope they say, it is a crime scene. And to maybe respect that because i cannot imagine what that does to somebody. Sort of imagine it, but in any case so what do we do with our trainings . I will be brief on this because i want to hear from the rest of you. We talk about content. What is the content we want to deliver . The messenger, who is the best messenger . Some of you are in this room. I am looking at you. The delivery system, how are we going to deliver this . Will it be through example or interview or story . The timing, immediate seems to be the immediate answer. But sometimes we may be holding back. Senator, as you said, if somebody has a suspicion that it is Mental Health related, well, i am not a doctor or psychiatrist. Im not one to give my credentials are that and maybe tak