OUT: Guidelines on suicide reporting
Claudia TheophilusPublished: Sep 17, 2005 2:13 AM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 10:21 AM
An estimated 2,000 lives lost in suicides in Malaysia every year has prompted the government to release a set of guidelines for the media as part of a national suicide prevention campaign.
An estimated 2,000 lives lost in suicides in Malaysia every year has prompted the government to release a set of guidelines for the media as part of a national suicide prevention campaign.
The 'Guidelines for Media Reporting on Suicide' touches on how to report on a specific suicide, considerations required of the media when covering such incidents and how to provide helpful insights into the causes and sufferings involved.
According to the document, the media should avoid sensational reporting of suicides, never publish it as front-page stories and minimise such coverage as much as possible.
"Any mental health problem of the deceased should be acknowledged. Every effort should be made to avoid over-statement. Photographs of the deceased, of the methods used and of the scene of the suicide are to be avoided."
The guidelines said research has shown that media coverage of suicide has "a greater impact on the method of suicide adopted".
"Therefore, detailed descriptions of the method used and how the method was procured should be avoided."
It went on to explain that suicide is caused by a complex set of factors including mental and physical illness, substance abuse, interpersonal conflicts and family disturbances, all of which should be duly and properly acknowledged.
"Suicide should not be depicted as a method of coping with personal problems such as bankruptcy, examination failure or sexual abuse," read the document.
Physical consequences
The guidelines said the media must also take into account the impact of suicide on families in terms of stigma and psychological suffering.
"Emphasise on mourning the person's death. Do not glorify suicide victims as objects of public adulation as this would suggest to susceptible persons that society honours suicidal behaviour."
The guidelines also asked to describe the physical consequences of non-fatal suicidal attempts such as brain damage and paralysis to act as a deterrent.
The guidelines were developed following a seminar and workshop for the media on suicide prevention methods in line with Malaysia's theme 'Media as Partners in Advocacy for Suicide Prevention'.
"The degree of publicity given to a suicide story can be linked to the number of subsequent suicides. Television also influences suicidal behaviour," read the five-page guidelines.
"Studies have shown that there is an increase in suicide after inappropriate television news reports cases of suicide."
The document also blamed highly publicised stories that appear in multiple programmes on multiple channels.
"(Such programmes) carry the greatest impact, all the more so if they involve celebrities."
Reliable sources
As a general consideration, the local guidelines listed specific issues for the media to address based on the World Health Organisation's 'Preventing Suicide - Resources for Media Professionals 2000'.
The media is required to interpret statistics carefully and correctly, use authentic and reliable sources and handle impromptu comments carefully despite deadlines.
When reporting suicides, the media is required to give particular attention to statistical generalisations while expressions to be avoided include 'suicide epidemic' or 'the place with the highest suicide rate in the world'.
The guideline wanted the media to resist reporting on suicidal behaviour as an understandable response to social or cultural changes or degradation.
It was prepared with input from the International Association for Suicide Prevention, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, support group The Befrienders, media representatives and Health Ministry officials.
The 'Guidelines for Media Reporting on Suicide' touches on how to report on a specific suicide, considerations required of the media when covering such incidents and how to provide helpful insights into the causes and sufferings involved.
According to the document, the media should avoid sensational reporting of suicides, never publish it as front-page stories and minimise such coverage as much as possible.
"Any mental health problem of the deceased should be acknowledged. Every effort should be made to avoid over-statement. Photographs of the deceased, of the methods used and of the scene of the suicide are to be avoided."
The guidelines said research has shown that media coverage of suicide has "a greater impact on the method of suicide adopted".
"Therefore, detailed descriptions of the method used and how the method was procured should be avoided."
It went on to explain that suicide is caused by a complex set of factors including mental and physical illness, substance abuse, interpersonal conflicts and family disturbances, all of which should be duly and properly acknowledged.
"Suicide should not be depicted as a method of coping with personal problems such as bankruptcy, examination failure or sexual abuse," read the document. Physical consequences
The guidelines said the media must also take into account the impact of suicide on families in terms of stigma and psychological suffering.
"Emphasise on mourning the person's death. Do not glorify suicide victims as objects of public adulation as this would suggest to susceptible persons that society honours suicidal behaviour."
The guidelines also asked to describe the physical consequences of non-fatal suicidal attempts such as brain damage and paralysis to act as a deterrent.
The guidelines were developed following a seminar and workshop for the media on suicide prevention methods in line with Malaysia's theme 'Media as Partners in Advocacy for Suicide Prevention'.
"The degree of publicity given to a suicide story can be linked to the number of subsequent suicides. Television also influences suicidal behaviour," read the five-page guidelines.
"Studies have shown that there is an increase in suicide after inappropriate television news reports cases of suicide."
The document also blamed highly publicised stories that appear in multiple programmes on multiple channels.
"(Such programmes) carry the greatest impact, all the more so if they involve celebrities."
Reliable sources
As a general consideration, the local guidelines listed specific issues for the media to address based on the World Health Organisation's 'Preventing Suicide - Resources for Media Professionals 2000'.
The media is required to interpret statistics carefully and correctly, use authentic and reliable sources and handle impromptu comments carefully despite deadlines. When reporting suicides, the media is required to give particular attention to statistical generalisations while expressions to be avoided include 'suicide epidemic' or 'the place with the highest suicide rate in the world'.
The guideline wanted the media to resist reporting on suicidal behaviour as an understandable response to social or cultural changes or degradation.
It was prepared with input from the International Association for Suicide Prevention, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, support group The Befrienders, media representatives and Health Ministry officials.
View Comments0