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IRISH JOURNALISTS HAVE been given a new requirement for how they go about reporting on suicide cases.
The Press Council of Ireland has inserted a new requirement into its Code of Practice, under Principle 5 (Privacy) which reads:
Press Council Chairperson Dáithí Ó Ceallaigh said that the new requirement is not meant to inhibit reporting of issues around suicide but is designed to guide the media to be more sensitive and careful on the effects of certain ways of writing or speaking about suicide.
He said at the launch of the 2014 report of the Press Council yesterday that of particular concern was publications giving too much detail on the means of suicide.
The reason for this latter concern is that there is clear evidence of the phenomenon of copycat suicide.In other words, vulnerable people on learning of a particular method of suicide are more likely to use that method to take their own lives.
While this guideline has been part of advice distributed to journalists by organisations such as The Samaritans, this is the first time it has been expressly made a requirement of the Press Council Code.
This means that a publication can be held to account under the Press Council should a member of the public affected directly by such reporting decide to lodge a complaint.
A total of 99 publications have signed up as full members of The Press Council – these include 15 national newspapers, 54 regional newspapers, 29 magazines and one online-only news publication (this one, TheJournal.ie).
Catherine Brogan, executive director of Samaritans Ireland said that they welcomed the new addition to the Code of Practice and that it recognised the “hugely important role in raising awareness of the issues surrounding suicide”.
Samaritans 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org
Console 1800 247 247 – (suicide prevention, self-harm, bereavement)
Aware 1890 303 302 (depression, anxiety)
Pieta House 01 601 0000 or email mary@pieta.ie - (suicide, self-harm)
Teen-Line Ireland 1800 833 634 (for ages 13 to 19)
Childline 1800 66 66 66 (for under 18s)
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And they had to have a big consultation to figure that out. ..Give me a break whatever happened to good old common sense.
Regrettably in this day and age, common sense isn’t very common.
yes censorship works
It also favours government propaganda and oppression.
exactly, suicide is unpopular so journalists should not report, this is the censorship line
I think the figures should be reported daily.
The truth is well masked and denies the serious straits many people are in and take desperate measures. It then is easier for them to say that improvements and help are not needed.
It may well be sensible not to report the method but where and how many would be most telling. I’m think most of us know the reasons.
THIS SHOULD BE REPORTED.
It should,not be hidden and it is to be recognised that the problems are much bigger and more widespread than the government report with their big smiles and all the carry on at the EEC.
Media agencies should provide journalists with the ethics of reporting on suicides.
There are already ethics about reporting suicide. There’s a great group called Headline that monitor media for such things who came in to give us a talk when I studied media.
These ethics aren’t exactly legally implemented, though. Most of the changes in the reporting of suicide are pretty subtle and you’d nearly need them to be pointed out to notice them.
For instance, you shouldn’t ever read an article these days claiming somebody had “committed suicide”, since it was decriminalised, there’s no crime to be committed.
Areas where suicide is a problem shouldn’t be refereed to as “hot spots” and the methods used shouldn’t be reported.
When two people kill themselves together, they ofter get referred to as “Romeo and Juliet”, which romaticises suicide.
As I said, though, these aren’t legal issues. Just common sense, really.
I don’t think that the reporting on suicide is the issue.A poorly resources mental health service is having a far bigger impact on the numbers than anything else.Now how about a big media discussion on this point.
Sadly, there is nothing in a media report that is not easily found by a Google search.
Just completed the ASIST refresher training (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training). I did the initial training 4 years ago.
For those that are interested you can find out when it may be in your area ~
There’d be little risk of any copycats if reporters used terms that made the legacy of suicide seem unappealing. e.g. instead of saying “a person has taken their own life” they should say “another idiot has taken the cowards way out”. Copycats are weak-minded & unoriginal so attaching a negative stigma is a much better deterrent that the “poor you” mentality.
And before people start thinking I’m trying to insult suicidal people, maybe read it again a few times. I’m specifically talking about copycats (as the article is about) NOT people with real mental health issues!
Anyone that thinks suicide is “the cowards way out” doesn’t understand. Not sure what you mean by “real mental health issues”. It is something that can happen to anyone, given certain circumstances. Drugs or alcohol can also influence a person’s state of mind. Including prescribed drugs eg anti-depressants. While some people can tolerate these drugs, for others they can increase the risk of suicide, especially in the younger age groups. Hence the FDA have a black box warning on these psychoactive drugs ~
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/InformationbyDrugClass/UCM096273
Going on or coming off these drugs can also be a vulnerable time.
{ Do not stop or change without discussing with a good doctor, due to the dangers of withdrawal incorrectly }
Well why not to ban movies and their making too then?? Example: Wild tales…a pilot that takes his own life and others too. Movies, news, books are fonts of great ideas and surely do not apply only for suiciding’s thoughts, but to wanna be rapists, racists, killers, thieves…maybe should just banned people from all forms of information and entertainment
have your say