Eating Disorder Media Guidelines

The media has a constant interest in the topic of eating disorders, which gives us the opportunity to share experiences and expertise, give opinion, and signpost people towards help, support and recovery.

We have seen an increase in accurate reporting in recent years, something we have worked hard to influence and a change we welcome. However, there are still some sections of the press that continue to cover the issue in ways that are trivialising and unhelpful to our cause and to the many vulnerable people affected by eating disorders.

Beat has a set of Media Guidelines to encourage balanced and responsible reporting. As well as the use of harmful images, we discourage mentions of specific weights or the lowest weight a person reached, amounts eaten, and other specific behaviour that formed part of a person's eating disorder.