Behind the Headlines » Why we rarely report suicides

Why we rarely report suicides

March 5th, 2008 by Steve

The subject is suicides, but first a personal note: I’ve changed jobs at The Advertiser and added one word to my title that you might not have noticed if I didn’t point it out. That one word, however, has made all the difference in what I do.

I am now 24/7 Local News Editor — local is the new word. I now oversee most of the local news reporters and their stories, both online and in the paper. I help select and shape the local news coverage.

In my old job, I was more involved in national and foreign news, and in turning stories into reader-friendly packages of stories, pictures, headlines and graphics. I was at the end of the newsroom process. Now, I’m at the beginning.

Starting this new job has been overwhelming, hence the lack of blog posts. But it involves me in a new set of interesting issues. I’ll start with suicides.

We generally don’t report on suicides. We consider them a personal family tragedy that is difficult enough for relatives to handle without public scrutiny.

Suicides become news, in our opinion, when they seriously disrupt the lives of others or if the suicide involves a major public figure. Any type of murder-suicide is always covered, but if no one else is killed or injured, we are much less likely to report the story. That is generally the policy at most mainstream media.

A reader called to ask why we didn’t cover an apparent suicide Downtown on Monday where someone fell from an office building. The caller said many people saw the suicide or its aftermath.

We posted a brief item about the incident online under the headline: “Fall investigation closes Merchant Street.” The story said a person fell onto the road, but we did not call it a suicide. No other person was hurt by the fall, so we did not to report it further, either online or in the paper. We covered the incident solely because it closed a busy road.

In some cases, the evidence of suicide is inconclusive: Was it an accidental drug overdose or intended? Was the fall accidental or not? Usually the police and medical examiner are reluctant to make such a conclusion quickly if evidence is lacking. Sometimes the medical examiner’s verdict will come days after the incident. We weigh each case individually.

There is also the concern that publicity might encourage people contemplating suicide to take their lives in ways that is both dramatic and disruptive. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, there is research that shows that suicide rates rise when there are more news stories about suicide or when a suicide is prominently reported.

Many newspeople would also be able to supply their own anecdotal evidence. For instance, soon after Cyrus Belt was thrown to his death from an H-1 overpass in January, there was at least two incidents where people fell from the same overpass. We reported the resulting traffic disruptions online but did not call them suicides.

Advertiser Editor Mark Platte wrote a column about this subject last year that goes into more detail. Read it here.

I’d be interested in reading your thoughts on our suicide policy.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 5th, 2008 at 2:34 pm and is filed under Default. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

6 Responses to “Why we rarely report suicides”

Chicken Grease [Visitor]:
March 6th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Steven Petranik, local news editor, all day, all the time
For instance, soon after Cyrus Belt was thrown to his death from an H-1 overpass in January, there was at least two incidents where people fell from the same overpass. We reported the resulting traffic disruptions online but did not call them suicides.

By leaving the information out regarding the suicide in each instance, don’t you end up leaving out an essential part of the story? I mean, if for no other good reason, the readers end up asking, “what? They were pushed off? Killed themselfs, what?”

I mean, you journalists have your journalist rules, but, put yourselves in the readers’ shoes sometimes.
Beara [Visitor]:
March 6th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Good topic, I was wondering about this myself and had a general idea. I agree with your policy, about suicide being painful for the family and being sensitive to that. Thank you for posting this!
Jennifer Cole [Visitor]:
March 6th, 2008 at 11:20 am
I see the logic in not wanting to report suicides as a pseudo-preventative measure, however I believe a journalist, as someone who serves the public interest, should exercise some type of compromise here. We need to communicate more about suicide to prevent it. If it’s not one thing, a story about someone who committed suicide for example, that drives someone to do the same, it will be something else. Even though I can see the logic in not reporting suicides, I don’t believe that people ‘waiting in the suicide wings’ go scanning through the news every day looking for a way some local person succeeded in taking their own life. If they are, it’s a desparate measure, and they’ve more than likely attempted suicide already.

I do believe, just as details are revealed to the depressed in the reporting of a suicide, it also provides necessary info to those who love them and watch out for them, and reveals to us the warning signs in a relevant and practical way. If I saw someone looking up the office building where someone jumped to their death, I’d do something. Maybe not lecture , but make eye contact, a friendly smile, or maybe a touch on the arm. Sometimes that’s all that’s needed to pull someone back from the edge.

It’s possible that had I not known about the incident, I’d think the person was just wondering if it was going to rain, or maybe looking up at a plane, and I’d just walk by.

It’s all very theoretical though. I think that people who blame the media for someone’s suicide are negligent in assuming responsibility for others. We are all our brother’s(and sister’s)keepers.
Chicken Grease [Visitor]:
March 6th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
I dunno, I don’t mean to make trouble, but, I’m still unconvinced as to why the fact that a suicide occurred isn’t the Advertiser’s responsibility to report it as such.

I mean . . . non-reporting of suicide(s) . . . what’ll be on the chopping block for tomorrow?

How ’bout this: news agencies, like The Honolulu Advertiser have no qualms reporting the names of those accused of crimes who might end up judged as innocent following a trial or settlement.

By virtue of how the media (at least in the Advertiser’s case)’s thinking of the feelings of those relatives or loved ones of the “suicidor” in not reporting the latter’s name or the fact that a suicide occurred, shouldn’t the Advertiser [gasp! This is taking long to write] have similar guidelines where the name or details of those merely accused of a crime is allowed the same sensibilities offered by the paper.

Or does “a man was arrested” without saying his name or age affect the bo$t$tom lin$e?
franksabunch [Visitor]:
March 7th, 2008 at 10:19 am
The last thing we need is a teenager seeing suicide as a way to go out in glory for all to see.
Kakaako Blogger [Visitor]:
March 11th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
I say it’s a good call. By reporting it, you might inadvertently encourage some disturbed person to do the same–go out in a “blaze of glory,” as they may interpret it. Also, suicide is a deeply personal issue. Yes, individuals and groups are hurt by homicides and accidents, but I think suicide really opens up huge scabs that have been picked on for years, and leaves little room for closure.