An Exercise in Improving Suicide Reporting in Print Media

Suicide and Life- …, 2010

In 2001 several U.S. government agencies and health organizations, including the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the American Association of Suicidology and the Annenberg Public Policy Center, published consensus recommendations for the media reporting of suicide. This study evaluated whether these guidelines were followed in U.S. newspapers articles on suicide published in 2002 and 2003. We examined articles featuring individual cases of suicidal behavior (N = 157) published in a nationally representative sample of 968 local and national newspapers. Our main finding is that U.S. newspaper suicide coverage did not consistently reflect the influence of the media guidelines in the two years following their publication. On the positive side, a minority (19%) of stories included inappropriate imagery. On the negative side, suicide stories often detailed suicide method (56% of stories) and location (58%) but rarely provided information about warning signs and risk factors (1% of stories), the role of depression (4%), the role of alcohol (2%), and prevention resources (6%). Our findings, together with previous evidence, suggest the need for sustained dialogue and collaboration with the media about the responsible reporting of suicide.

European Psychiatry, 2024

Background: An association between sensationalized media reporting and subsequent increase in suicidal behavior has been documented, and adolescents are especially vulnerable to imitative influences. The aims of this study were to examine the characteristics of the articles reporting adult and adolescent (under age 18) suicides in the Italian press and to assess adherence to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for responsible reporting. Methods: The print versions of the three newspapers with the widest national distribution in Italy were searched for all the articles on incident suicides printed over a 7-month period (July 2022 to February 2023). Articles were examined for adherence to the WHO guidelines. Results: Overall, 213 articles were identified, reporting on 122 individual suicide cases (88.5% adults and 11.5% adolescents). Of the articles, 78.9% were on adults and 21.1% on adolescents, with a ratio articles/suicide cases of 1.6 for adults and 3.2 for adolescents (p < 0.0001). Adolescent suicide articles had more words (mean 612.5 ± SD 275.6) than adult ones (462.1 ± 267.7, p = 0.001). Potentially harmful reporting features were present in both the adult and adolescent articles (12-82%). Few articles (0-15%) included protective features. Articles on adolescents were more adherent to the WHO guidelines for omitting specific information of suicide method and location. Conclusions: Significant differences were found in the press reporting of adolescent versus adult suicides, with adolescent suicides receiving more attention in terms of the number of articles and article length. Suicide press reporting can be improved. A close collaboration between journalists and suicide prevention experts may be beneficial.

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), 2019

Inadequate suicide reports can cause copycat suicide attempts, but legal regulations for the media are rarely seen worldwide. In Taiwan, daily media surveillance with immediate feedback to correct inappropriate reports has been an interactive policy in the national suicide prevention strategy for a decade. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of current surveillance program via assessing the adherence rates with 12-item WHO responsible reporting guideline in print newspapers (2010-2018) and online media (2017-2018). The results showed that media reporting of suicide significantly improved in most guideline items under surveillance. But the development of psychiatric-media liaisons should further improve reporting quality.

PsycEXTRA Dataset

The European Journal of Public Health, 2009

Background: Programmes to educate media professionals about suicide are increasingly established, but information about which suicide cases are most likely to be reported in the mass media is sparse. Methods: We applied binomial tests to compare frequencies of social characteristics of all domestic suicides in the 13 largest Austrian print media in 2005 with frequencies of suicide characteristics in the population. Additionally, each reported suicide case was linked to its respective entry in the suicide database. We performed a logistic regression analysis, with presence of an article as outcome, and sex of the suicide case, age, religious affiliation, family status, conduction of an autopsy and location of the suicide as explaining variables. Time of the year and federal state where the suicide happened was controlled for. Results: Binomial tests showed that suicides involving murder or murder attempt were over-represented in the media. Reporting on mental disorders was under-represented. In the regression analysis, the likelihood of a report was negatively associated with the age of suicide cases. Foreign citizenship was a further predictor of a suicide report. The methods of drowning, jumping, shooting and rare methods were more likely to be reported than hanging, which is the most frequent suicide method in Austria. Conclusions: Suicide characteristics in the media are not representative of the population. The identified discrepancies provide a basis for tailor-made education of mass media professionals.

Aim: To characterize (by age and gender) individuals who suicide (IWS) and their circumstances (presence or absence of mental disorder and stress), as reported in the lay press, and to examine for evidence of newsworthiness impacting on reportage. Method: Newspaper reports were prospectively collected over a 10 year period (mid 1995 to mid 2005). Age, gender, life circumstances and domicile were extracted, collated and compared. Results: Sixty one reports of IWS were detected. The average age was 45 years and IWS were predominantly male (83%). Mental disorder was present in 20%, stress in 70% and neither were present in 15%. There was a significant difference between the proportion with stressors and the proportion with mental disorder. In all sub-categories (IWS living outside and inside Tasmania, and IWS whose suicide was preceded and not preceded by the killing of others), stress was more frequently present than was mental illness, although these observed differences did not reach criteria for statistical significance. Comparing the IWS who lived outside Tasmania with those who lived inside the state, those who lived outside were significantly more frequently male (90%, 50%) and less frequently suffered mental disorder (16%, 50%), with statistically non-significant differences in age (46 years, 43 years), and stress (73%, 50%).These differences were more marked when IWS who killed others before themselves were excluded. In addition, there were nine reports of increased suicide rates in particular geographic regions and clusters of suicides in identified groups. The evidence indicated that stress was an important factor in these events. Nine (15%) of IWS were in legal difficulties as perpetrators of child pornography or child sexual offences. Conclusions: Newsworthiness (prominence, notoriety and domicile of IWS, and the prior killing of others) influenced the newspaper reportage of suicide. Stress was identified as an important suicide trigger (German J Psychiatry 2006;9:97-100).

Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention, 2016

Background: Media reporting may influence suicide clusters through imitation or contagion. In 2008 there was extensive national and international newspaper coverage of a cluster of suicides in young people in the Bridgend area of South Wales, UK. Aims: To explore the quantity and quality of newspaper reporting during the identified cluster. Method: Searches were conducted for articles on suicide in Bridgend for 6 months before and after the defined cluster (June 26, 2007, to September 16, 2008). Frequency, quality (using the PRINTQUAL instrument), and sensationalism were examined. Results: In all, 577 newspaper articles were identified. One in seven articles included the suicide method in the headline, 47.3% referred to earlier suicides, and 44% used phrases that guidelines suggest should be avoided. Only 13% included sources of information or advice. Conclusion: A high level of poor-quality and sensationalist reporting was found during an ongoing suicide cluster at the very time when good-quality reporting could be considered important. A broad awareness of media guidelines and expansion and adherence to press codes of practice are required by journalists to ensure ethical reporting.

Journal of Korean medical science, 2014

Sir: Dr. Ji et al. (1) have conducted a study investigating the annual trends of charcoal burning (CB) suicide, 2000 to 2011, and to examine the risk factors of CB suicide in Korea. In the study, the proportion of CB suicides among all suicide deaths reported was 0.7% (84 cases) in 2007, and since 2008 it has rapidly increased to 7.9% (1,251 cases) in 2011. Among risk factors of CB suicide in the study, the robust influence of media report about famous Korean actor Ahn's CB suicide (adjusted odds ratio, 11.69; 95% CI, 10.30-13.23) was clearly found, strikingly the risk of CB suicide was almost 12 times higher after September, 2008 compared to the months prior, indicating that the profound negative role of media report increasing copycat suicide especially in vulnerable population (e.g., 15-40s, single, and male). I would like to add up useful information along with some issues concerning a huge role of media on increasing impulsive suicidality of human and regarding proper preventive strategy to minimize such negative influence of media reporting. Despite a positive impact of media on rapid and massive dissemination of information in a wide range of area such as science and health, such critical influence may also cause unwanted and negative results in aspect of public mental health. Most of the evidence to date for a copycat suicide effect of media report has been suggested to be indirect. However, there has been increasing evidence of copycat effect by media report today. According to studies funded by the Australian Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, the presentation way the media reveal stories on suicide can have a direct influence on the public's perception of suicide and its related mental health issues (2). The impact of the media on suicidal behavior is in particular strong and dangerous upon media's detailed storytelling such as specified suicide method and way to access onto lethal material; especially, such influence is more direct and profound when the suicide story is reported, modified, or por-CORRESPONDENCE

2013

Background: Certain types of news coverage can increase the likelihood of suicide. This study explores, how media covered a suicide case in a country, where there was no available guideline, though it was among the leading countries in suicide statistics. The specific aim was to compare the first and second waves of reporting on suicide from the same website. Methods: In 2011, two young women committed double suicide in Budapest, Hungary. We analyzed the first and second waves of the reported articles about this double suicide case, in online daily newspapers, news portals and also the readers' comments. Results: Provocative aspects were present in 38.9-100.0% of the articles, while preventive aspects were found in 0-22.2% of the articles. Readers commented in 49.6% "Other Aspects" (comments about all other aspects not belonging to any other category, i.e. Risk Behavior, Family Relations, Suicide Place and Methods, Prevention, Media Style Reporting) and in 25.4% "Without Content" (comments without a specific content: e.g. chatting), while "Prevention" (comments about possible safety preventive measures) was mentioned only in 1.5% of the comments. In 34.1% the emotional tonality of the comments was "Neutral" (indifferent comments: e.g. chatting). Though articles published for the second time were significantly longer than the firstly published ones, the preventive aspects of reporting were not added to the second articles either, but significantly more provocative aspects were found in them. Conclusions: The suicide reports, both in the first and second waves of reporting, were not in line with the recommendation of the international guidelines on suicide reporting. It draws the attention of professionals to the importance of developing national guidelines on media suicide coverage.

Journalism

Numerous guidelines on responsible reporting of suicide are available to journalists globally, offering advice on best practice regarding approaches and suitability of content. Whilst their advice is compelling and legitimate, their use is uneven at best. With a suicide death every 40 seconds worldwide, it is imperative journalists understand and recognise the best ethical practices in order to report suicide responsibly. To address these shortcomings, the authors present a model for responsible suicide reporting (RSR) that is grounded in news-work and embeds media reporting guidelines within journalistic storytelling practices. The RSR model consists of a typology of suicide narratives and ‘othering’, ethical rules and a standard of moderation. Methodologically, these typologies emerged from analysis of 159 suicide news stories published in 2018–19, with particular focus on adherence and non-adherence to global media reporting guidelines. We posit through the process of producing s...