Journalism and suicide reporting guidelines in Canada: perspectives, partnerships and processes

Gandy, Julia; Terrion, Jenepher Lennox

doi:10.1080/14623730.2015.1077613

Cited by 12 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Only a handful of studies have asked journalists directly about their attitudes toward these recommendations and the reasons for which they have followed (or not followed) them (Collings and Kemp, 2010; Crane et al, 2005; Gandy and Terrion, 2015; Jamieson et al, 2003; Skehan et al, 2006; Tully and Elsaka, 2004). These studies indicate a wide range of reasons why media recommendations may go unheeded or only partially complied with.…”

Section: The ‘(Ir)responsible’ Reporting Of Suicidementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Later interview-based studies demonstrate a rising awareness of reporting recommendations (at least outside the United States), but reveal other obstacles to following reporting guidelines. Most significantly, journalists interviewed continue to voice skepticism about contagion possibilities (Collings and Kemp, 2010; Gandy and Terrion, 2015; Jamieson et al, 2003; Tully and Elsaka, 2004).…”

Section: The ‘(Ir)responsible’ Reporting Of Suicidementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gandy and Terrion (2015) and Collings and Kemp (2010) discuss how journalists in Canada and New Zealand, respectively, perceive suicide reporting recommendations as clashing with their social responsibility to ‘tell the whole story’. Media recommendations for the responsible reporting of suicide involve the cautious, selective disclosure of information, for example, not disclosing details about method, certain kinds of images, or the content of suicide ‘notes’.…”

Section: The ‘(Ir)responsible’ Reporting Of Suicidementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Suppression of information is directly at odds with the core journalistic value of truth-telling and thorough information disclosure (Kovach and Rosenstiel, 2001; Schudson, 2015). Considering this tension, journalists may feel that abiding by suicide reporting recommendations inhibits their ability to provide an objective, accurate account (Gandy and Terrion, 2015), and even that such guidelines represent a form of externally imposed censorship (Collings and Kemp, 2010).…”

Section: The ‘(Ir)responsible’ Reporting Of Suicidementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In an attempt to respond to this dilemma, public health groups and partners around the world developed recommendations for the news media that were intended to encourage responsible and prevention-oriented coverage of suicide (Bohanna and Wang, 2012; WHO, 2008). In the United States and other countries, these suicide reporting recommendations have been met with a range of responses by journalists, from ignorance to ambivalence and from acceptance to resistance (Collings and Kemp, 2010; Crane et al, 2005; Gandy and Terrion, 2015; Jamieson et al, 2003; Skehan et al, 2006; Tully and Elsaka, 2004). Meanwhile, suicide rates have continued to rise in the United States and elsewhere during the last 25 years.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

‘We report the world as it is, not as we want it to be’: Journalists’ negotiation of professional practices and responsibilities when reporting on suicide

2017

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Media coverage of suicide can play a pivotal role in raising public awareness of an important public health issue. But research suggests that reporting on suicide can potentially trigger suicidal behavior in vulnerable individuals. To encourage the responsible reporting of suicide as a public health issue, media recommendations have been developed. Based on interviews with 50 US journalists, this study explores journalists’ awareness of and attitudes toward suicide reporting risks and US media recommendations. Through the lens of suicide news reporting, this is a study examining how journalists view their professional roles and sense of social responsibility when reporting on issues, like suicide, with potential public health consequences. We find that while the journalists interviewed want to cover suicide responsibly, and as a public health issue, they often deviate from recommendations. In many cases, professional conventions and routines conflict with or hinder guideline compliance. Moreover, many journalists deliberately disregard suicide reporting guidelines because they clash with their professional values and perceived responsibility of serving the public via truth-telling and full disclosure of information.

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Section: The ‘(Ir)responsible’ Reporting Of Suicidementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The ‘(Ir)responsible’ Reporting Of Suicidementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The ‘(Ir)responsible’ Reporting Of Suicidementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The ‘(Ir)responsible’ Reporting Of Suicidementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

‘We report the world as it is, not as we want it to be’: Journalists’ negotiation of professional practices and responsibilities when reporting on suicide

2017

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Psychiatrists’ Perceptions of the Role of Journalists in Suicide Reporting and Prejudices about Mental Illnesses in Portugal

Ribeiro,

Granado

2024

J Community Health

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International studies and the World Health Organization call for collaboration between media and mental health professionals to reduce the risk of imitative suicidal behaviour after suicide reporting – known as the Werther effect – and encourage individuals at risk to seek help. This study explores Portuguese psychiatrists’ perceptions of the practices of journalists, their interaction with those professionals, and their perspectives on the national suicide coverage through an anonymous online questionnaire and ten semi-structured interviews. The questionnaire received 128 responses. Only about 24% of the Portuguese psychiatrists characterized their relationship with journalists as cooperative, and most of them considered suicide reporting to be sensationalist and irresponsible. More than 80% of the participants expressed the view that journalists do not know the guidelines for responsible suicide reporting, but more than 95% considered that they can contribute to suicide prevention. These findings suggest that there is a long way to go to build a constructive partnership for suicide prevention between psychiatrists and journalists in Portugal, focused on improving the quality of suicide reporting. We hope this study may inspire similar studies in other countries, since suicide is an international public health problem and collaboration between media and mental health professionals can help to prevent it on a global scale.

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Machen Werther und Papageno im deutschen Journalismus Schule?

Frehmann

Schäfer

2020

Publizistik

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ZusammenfassungJedes Jahr sterben in Deutschland mehr als 9000 Menschen durch Suizid. Zu den wichtigsten Präventionsmaßnahmen zählt die Weltgesundheitsorganisation eine verantwortungsvolle Medienberichterstattung über Suizide. Hintergrund hierfür sind Erkenntnisse zum „Werther-“ bzw. „Papageno-Effekt“, wonach die Medienberichterstattung über Suizide zur Entstehung oder Verhinderung weiterer Suizide beitragen kann und vor allem die Art und Weise der Berichterstattung über die Richtung der Effekte entscheidet. Aus suizidpräventiver und medienethischer Sicht scheint es daher sinnvoll, dass Medienschaffende über die möglichen Konsequenzen ihrer Berichterstattung Bescheid wissen, um diese bei ihrem Handeln berücksichtigen zu können. In der Journalistenausbildung besteht grundsätzlich ausreichend Raum für die Vermittlung solcher Inhalte. Allerdings ist zum Stellenwert suizidrelevanter Medieneffekte in der deutschen Journalistenausbildung bislang wenig bekannt. Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht mit Hilfe einer Telefonbefragung von Verantwortlichen zentraler Institutionen der außerredaktionellen Journalistenausbildung (n = 67), welche Rolle die Suizidberichterstattung im Allgemeinen und die Effekte im Speziellen in Deutschland spielen. Die Ergebnisse machen deutlich, dass die Themen in vielen Bildungsangeboten bislang allenfalls unregelmäßig behandelt werden. Jedoch bestehen auf Seiten der Einrichtungen grundsätzlich Interesse und Offenheit, aber auch zusätzlicher Informationsbedarf, was in Zukunft genutzt bzw. thematisiert werden sollte.

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Journalism and suicide reporting guidelines in Canada: perspectives, partnerships and processes

Cited by 12 publications

References 20 publications

‘We report the world as it is, not as we want it to be’: Journalists’ negotiation of professional practices and responsibilities when reporting on suicide

‘We report the world as it is, not as we want it to be’: Journalists’ negotiation of professional practices and responsibilities when reporting on suicide

Psychiatrists’ Perceptions of the Role of Journalists in Suicide Reporting and Prejudices about Mental Illnesses in Portugal

Machen Werther und Papageno im deutschen Journalismus Schule?

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