A panel of experts released a groundbreaking study recently with convincing arguments showing news coverage of suicide can increase the number of these tragic deaths.
The report, released through the Annenberg Public Policy Centre, explored the troubling issue of “suicide contagion” or copycat suicides linked to news coverage. It points out that research finds an increase in suicide by readers or viewers when:
- The number of stories about individual suicides increases.
- A particular death is reported at length or in many stories.
- The story of an individual death by suicide is placed on the front page or at the beginning of a broadcast.
- The headlines about specific suicide deaths are dramatic.
Through its policy on suicide coverage, The Star tries to be responsible, yet still inform the public about suicide when it is newsworthy.
“Our policy on suicides is not to indicate that a death was a suicide unless there is some overriding public interest in doing so. All stories mentioning suicides must be cleared by the city editor and the senior editor on the news desk before they are published” the policy reads.
The Annenberg suicide recommendations for the media support this thrust. They ask all news organizations to think carefully about portrayal of suicide.
“Media stories about individual deaths by suicide may be newsworthy and need to be covered, but they also have the potential to do harm,” the report states.
So what are the major considerations when covering suicide?
News organizations should avoid any portrayal of suicide that may be viewed as heroic or romantic. They should not give detailed descriptions of suicide methods or detailed descriptions or pictures of the location of a suicide. They should not present suicide as an “inexplicable act” of an otherwise healthy or high-achieving person. The report also says, whenever possible, to avoid referring to suicide in a headline.
When covering suicides, reporters should ask if the victim had received treatment for depression or any other mental health disorder and if he or she had a problem with substance abuse. This helps shed light on the varied and complex issues and events that may cause suicide.
The report does not suggest eliminating suicide coverage. It urges news organizations to provide stories that inform readers and viewers about the causes of suicide, its warning signs, trends in suicide rates and recent treatment advances.
The research behind the study is compelling.
It found that after an education campaign on the coverage of subway suicides aimed at journalists in Vienna in 1987, subway suicides and non-fatal subway suicide attempts dropped by more than 80 per cent after six months. All journalists would be wise to take the recommendations seriously.
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The Saturday Star puzzle page has had some embarrassing mix-ups lately. The Prize crossword for Saturday, Aug. 11, 2001 was incorrect. The clues were correct, but the grid did not match them.
Editors tried to solve the problem by printing what they thought was the correct puzzle on A2 last Saturday. However it was a puzzle that had already run a few weeks back.
Many readers were understandably riled. This week’s crossword has been proofread and vetted by many sets of eyes and should be fine. The Star apologizes to all the puzzle enthusiasts who called to complain.
