SUICIDE IS a social phenomenon which should be treated sensitively but not ignored by newspapers, according to organisations which took part in a consultation process on the reporting of suicide organised by the Press Council.
A discussion document on the issue published today indicates there is widespread acceptance regarding the right of the press to publish news about suicide.
It says editorial decisions, sometimes made under pressure and without a clear appreciation of their implications, can have incalculable and unforeseeable effects for families and friends of people who have taken their own lives.
The Press Council received a total of 11 position papers from organisations, and 12 from individuals, in response to an invitation for submissions in relation to the reporting of suicide last September.
Only one submission - from an individual - argued that the best way for the press to co-operate with the need to reduce suicide was to suppress reporting of suicide completely.
The discussion document shows that press reports on suicide have intensified distress••domain, and therefore may be reported in the press
• Premature descriptions of suicide, well in advance of an inquest, of what could equally have been an accidental death
• Close-up photographs of traumatised, bereaved families at funerals of those who have taken their own lives
A number of submissions suggested introducing a single set of guidelines, while others said the Press Council should establish a forum to enable journalists and organisations working in the area of suicide prevention to address the portrayal of mental health and suicide in the press.
Among the recommendations made by both individuals and organisations which, the Press Council said, might be considered in drafting guidelines include:
• Use of appropriate and non-sensationalist language
• The danger of prominent and repetitive coverage
• Avoiding romanticising or glorifying suicide
• Avoiding use of dramatic photographs.