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The Newsworthiness of Suicide
Author(s) -
Pirkis Jane,
Burgess Philip,
Blood R. Warwick,
Francis Catherine
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
suicide and life‐threatening behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.544
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1943-278X
pISSN - 0363-0234
DOI - 10.1521/suli.2007.37.3.278
Subject(s) - copycat , context (archaeology) , suicide prevention , suicide rates , fell , poison control , psychology , injury prevention , human factors and ergonomics , medicine , psychiatry , medical emergency , geography , cartography , archaeology , cognitive science
There is a paucity of studies examining which suicides are considered newsworthy. By combining data on media reports of individuals' suicides with routinely collected suicide data, it was found that 1% of Australian suicides were reported over a 1‐year period. There was evidence of over‐reporting of suicides by older people and females, and those involving dramatic methods. Reported suicides fell into three groups: suicides reported in a broader context; suicides by celebrities; and suicides involving unusual circumstances/methods. The data suggest a need for media professionals and suicide experts to work together to balance newsworthiness against the risk of copycat behavior.