Media Project
Research has shown that graphic, sensationalized or romanticized descriptions of suicide deaths in the news media can contribute to suicide contagion, popularly referred to as “copycat” suicides. Media reports on suicide can also be a source of misinformation; for example, when suicide is attributed in a single event such as the loss of a job or a relationship, with no mention of underlying factors such as the individual’s depression, substance abuse, or lack of access to treatment for these conditions.
Responsible coverage of suicide, in contrast, can educate wide audiences about the likely causes of suicide, its warning signs, trends in suicide rates, recent treatment advances and other ways suicide can be prevented. Stories about well-known figures who have successfully sought treatment for depression, alcoholism and other conditions that convey suicide risk can also be a powerful impetus for readers to address such issues in their own lives.
AFSP has worked with the Annenberg Public Policy Center to improve the way suicide is covered in the media. Joint activities have included a consensus workshop which brought together the National Institute of Mental Health, the Office of the Surgeon General, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the American Association of Suicidology, the World Health Organization and several other agencies to develop media recommendations to encourage responsible reporting on suicide. The result of this collaborative effort was the development and release of a consensus document, Reporting on Suicide: Recommendations for the Media.
Over the last several years, AFSP has continued to work with the Annenberg Public Policy Center in a multifaceted effort to persuade the media to follow these recommendations. AFSP has conducted a training workshop in conjunction with the American Psychiatric Association, with the goal of developing a national panel of experts who could be available to advise reporters and other media personnel about aspects of suicide as they are preparing their stories. A pilot project conducted by Annenberg found significant improvement in reporters' stories on suicide after they received the media recommendations.
AFSP is continuing to track media coverage of suicide, identifying both good and problematic articles and working individually with reporters to improve their stories dealing with suicide. The Foundation also presents awards for excellence in reporting on suicide to reporters whose work is particularly exemplary of responsible, educational journalism.
