Media, Suicide and Contagion: Safe Reporting as Suicide Prevention

Ng, Yin Ping; Panirselvam, Ravivarma Rao; Chan, Lai Fong

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-62613-6_17

Cited by 4 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…One limitation to safe practice may be contributed by the lack of knowledge and expertise or skills surrounding the process of reporting. Our study provides theoretical knowledge on specific components of safe suicide reporting such as harmful descriptions of suicide and protective suicide-prevention ( Ng et al, 2021b ) in line with Papageno and Werther’s discussion of effect in media suicide reporting ( Phillips, 1985 ; Niederkrotenthaler et al, 2010 ). Knowledge of these components was evidenced to show significant improvement after our media workshop.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Effectiveness of a Malaysian Media Intervention Workshop: Safe Reporting on Suicide

Lim

Cheng

Ng³

et al. 2021

Front. Psychol.

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Background: Suicide remains an important cause of premature deaths and draws much media attention. However, unsafe reporting and portrayal of suicides by the media have been associated with increased risk of suicidal behavior. Current evidence suggests that media capacity-building could potentially prevent suicide. However, there are still knowledge gaps in terms of a lack of data on effective strategies for improving awareness and safe reporting of suicide-related media content. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a workshop conducted with members of the media community on the safe reporting of suicide-related content.Methods: An interventional single-arm pre and post pilot study was conducted on a sample of the Malaysian media community recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. The media safe reporting workshop was conducted by a suicide prevention expert with a media industry background. Thirty participants completed a self-reported evaluation questionnaire on their awareness and knowledge of reporting on suicide-related media content; before and after the interventional workshop.Results: There was a significant difference between the total scores before and after the intervention, with a large effect size. Post-intervention scores were significantly improved in 8 items, namely those related to the reporting of: (i) the content of any suicide note; (ii) headlines with methods of suicide; (iii) headlines with the location of suicide; (iv) cases of suspected suicide despite the unconfirmed cause of death; (v) suicide news to cater to readers’ interests; (vi) cause of suicide; (vii) details of the location of suicide; and (viii) the negative impact to media community when reporting suicide stories. In particular, there was an improvement in the majority of items for people from the media community with no lived experience of suicidal behavior.Conclusion: The media safe reporting workshop is a potentially effective intervention for improving awareness and knowledge measures relating to safe reporting on suicide among the media community, with a more pronounced effect in those without lived experience of suicidal behavior. Limitations in the sample size, generalizability, short-term evaluation, and lack of a control group warrant future larger, longer-term controlled, and more representative studies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Effectiveness of a Malaysian Media Intervention Workshop: Safe Reporting on Suicide

Lim

Cheng

Ng³

et al. 2021

Front. Psychol.

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“…The connection between media reporting and suicide is certainly salient, but also nuanced and difficult to view in black-and-white terms, as there is a potential for both harmful or helpful outcomes depending on how the coverage is handled. In contrast to the Werther effect, a phenomenon known as the Papageno effect has been identified (Ng, Panirselvam, and Chan 2021). This refers to the potential for media's positive effect in lowering risk for suicide, when messaging aids in giving the public helpful knowledge that can lead to seeking help, improving literacy surrounding mental health issues, combating harmful myths around suicidality, and providing a platform for discussion and resource provision (Ng, Panirselvam, and Chan 2021).…”

Section: Social Contagion and Suicidementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The World Health Organization has provided guidelines for responsible reporting on suicide that include recommendations to provide accurate information and promote resources to those who may be struggling, and to avoid sensational language and descriptive details. In order to mitigate these potential risks, mental and public health professionals engage media representatives in training, partnering with organizations to promote the reporting guidelines, providing early education to journalism students, and even in some cases using an incentive structure (Ng, Panirselvam, and Chan 2021).…”

Section: Social Contagion and Suicidementioning

confidence: 99%

Social Contagion, from Suicide to Online Challenges to Eating Disorders: Current Research and Harm Mitigation Strategies for Youth Online

Corzine,

Harrison

2023

jots

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“…The resultant outcome is overly descriptive suicide news that often oversimplify and misrepresent suicide as being monocausal in nature. Such content is potentially triggering due to the personal details that may resonate with readers who share similar attributes to the decedent; and provide sufficient details for one to potentially imitate the act (Ng et al, 2021). In addition, participants raised concerns regarding the hierarchical and competitive nature within the media industry that were thought to fuel unsafe reporting.…”

Section: Unsafe Reportingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The reporting and portrayal of suicide in the media has significant societal and public health implications (Ng et al, 2021). The risk of suicide contagion from media reports of suicide, more commonly known as copy-cat suicide, or the Werther effect, has been documented and debated in over 150 published studies to date (Niederkrotenthaler et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Malaysian Stakeholder Perspectives on Suicide-Related Reporting: Findings From Focus Group Discussions

Ng¹,

Pheh

Panirselvam³

et al. 2021

Front. Psychol.

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Media guidelines on safe suicide-related reporting are within the suicide prevention armamentarium. However, implementation issues beleaguer real-world practice. This study evaluated the perspectives of the Malaysian media community, persons with lived experience of suicidal behavior (PLE), and mental health professionals (MHP) on suicide-related reporting in terms of the impact, strategies, challenges, and the implementation of guidelines on safe reporting. Three focus group discussions of purposively sampled Malaysian media practitioners (n = 8), PLE (n = 6), and MHP (n = 7) were audio-recorded, transcribed, coded and thematically analyzed. Inclusion criteria were: English fluency, no clinical depression or suicidal ideation (current), no recent previous suicide attempts or suicide bereavement. Three major themes emerged: (1) Unsafe Reporting; (2) Impact; and (3) Safe Reporting. Most described current reporting as unsafe by being potentially triggering to media users and may contribute to contagion effect. Positive impacts identified included raised awareness toward suicide and its prevention. Unsafe reporting was attributed to inadequate awareness, knowledge, and guidance, lack of empathy and accountability, job-related factors, popularity-seeking, lack of monitoring and governance, and information source(s) with unsafe content. Majority agreed on how suicide stories should be framed to produce a safe report. The media community diverged on how detailed a suicide story should be. Safe reporting challenges included difficulties in balancing beneficial versus harmful details, social media ubiquity and its citizen reporters. Participants suggested these safe reporting strategies: stakeholder engagement, educational approaches, improving governance and surveillance, and guidelines revision. Most acknowledged the relevance of guidelines but were unaware of the existence of local guidelines. Implementation challenges included the dilemma in balancing media industry needs vis-à-vis safe reporting requirements, stakeholder engagement difficulties and social media regulation. There is poor awareness regarding safe suicide-related reporting across all groups. PLE and MHP were negatively impacted by current unsafe messaging which aggravated trauma and grief reactions. Postvention support gaps for mental health professionals were highlighted. Safe reporting promotion strategies should include stakeholder engagement to increase awareness on minimizing Werther and maximizing Papageno effects. Strategic re-examination and dissemination of local media guidelines to address new media issues, and effective surveillance mechanisms, are crucial in sustainable improvement of safe reporting practices.

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Media, Suicide and Contagion: Safe Reporting as Suicide Prevention

Cited by 4 publications

References 50 publications

Effectiveness of a Malaysian Media Intervention Workshop: Safe Reporting on Suicide

Effectiveness of a Malaysian Media Intervention Workshop: Safe Reporting on Suicide

Social Contagion, from Suicide to Online Challenges to Eating Disorders: Current Research and Harm Mitigation Strategies for Youth Online

Malaysian Stakeholder Perspectives on Suicide-Related Reporting: Findings From Focus Group Discussions

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