Mental Health and suicide are unfortunately becoming an increasingly common topic to talk about within the media, however there is a right and a wrong way to report on it. Take the recent death of Avicii for example. TMZ wrote a piece on his death saying he “committed” suicide (strike one) instead of “died by suicide”; included the way in which he committed suicide (strike two), and does not provide any sort of suicide help line information what so ever (strike three, you’re out).
The APC guidelines clearly state not only that the news that is presented should be honest but should also be accurate out of respect for the deceased and their relatives. They are also not to divulge the information of the act including the location and the method unless it is in the public interest:
“The method and location of a suicide should not be described in detail (eg, a particular drug or cliff) unless the public interest in doing so clearly outweighs the risk, if any, of causing further suicides/ The applies especially to methods or locations which may not be well known by people contemplating suicide.”
The implications of reporting in this are copycats. Copycats are those who follow the actions of those that they wish to imitate, often through suicide or murder (among others). In addition to copycats, the sensitive information about the details of a suicide can cause the family and friends of the person mentioned to relive the trauma caused by their death.
Another example of how not to report on suicide is Logan Paul’s video titled: “We found a dead body in the Japanese Suicide Forest”, in which he found and filmed a dead body in Japan’s Aokigahara. Paul, in addition to showing the body (blurred out) on screen, also used the body in the thumbnail of the video and made joked around with his friends who were with him at the time. Other YouTubers who responded to this video with videos of their own claimed that there were other ways Paul could have approached the situation and expressed their disgust at his behaviour.
The APC guidelines state:
“Reports should not sensationalise, glamourise or trivialise suicides. They should not inappropriately stigmatise suicides or people involved in them but this does not preclude responsible description or discussion of the impacts, even if they are severely adverse, on people, organisations or communities. Where appropriate, underlying causes such as mental illness should be mentioned.”
Most of the content of Paul’s videos went against these guidelines in the fact that he sensationalized and trivialized the suicide victim whom he had found within the forest. The implications regarding this behavior reflect on the family and the dignity of the person who had died. Other implications are best explained by Gaijin Goombah in his response video on YouTube where he states that Paul’s actions have made his job infinitely harder. In this case, Paul not only violated ethical guidelines but also violated people’s personal guidelines as well.
Some have referred back to VICE’s video titled: “Suicide Forest in Japan” saying that they too showed a body. While this is correct, the nature in which VICE presented the bodies was educational and added to their original meaning therefore making it okay.
Death is a sensitive topic, especially concerning suicide, meaning that it must be approached carefully when being spoken about in media. Guidelines such as those from the APC explicitly detail the best way to talk about such sensitive matters so as not to offend anyone.
If you’re experiencing difficulties and require help call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or similar services within your area.
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