Agencies
Services
Media Guidelines for Reporting on Suicide
Who are these media guidelines for?
These guidelines are for anyone sharing information about mental health and suicide through the news media. Whether you are in journalism, public relations, marketing, or any other profession that conveys messages to the public, the guidelines will empower you to help prevent suicide through the messages you convey and the language you use.
Why is it important to have media guidelines for reporting on suicide?
The news media plays an important role in preventing suicide.
- More than 100 studies worldwide have found that the risk of contagion* is real, and that responsible reporting can reduce the risk of additional suicides.
- Covering suicide carefully can change perceptions, dispel myths, and inform the public on the complexities of the issue.
- Media reports can result in help-seeking when they include helpful resources and messages of hope and recovery.
By accurately portraying those who suffer from mental illness, the media has the power to dispel the myths, prejudices, and unfavorable attitudes that are frequently attached to mental illness. The media can provide vital mental health education that individuals may not receive elsewhere. Through accurate media coverage, proper resources, and hopeful messaging, individuals who are struggling with their mental health may feel more willing to ask for help.
*Contagion = a process by which exposure to the suicide or suicidal behavior of one or more persons influences others to commit or attempt suicide.
What are the recommendations and best practices?
The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance) leads work on changing the conversation about suicide for multiple audiences, including media and newsrooms. The Action Alliance’s efforts to address the news media included providing specific guidelines to the media on accurate and responsible coverage of suicide. Following these recommendations can assist in safe reporting on suicide:
| Avoid... | Instead... |
|---|---|
|
Describing or depicting the method and location of the suicide. |
Report the death as a suicide; keep information about the location general. |
|
Sharing the content of a suicide note. |
Report that a note was found and exclude further details. |
|
Describing intimate details about the person who died. |
Keep information about the person general. |
|
Presenting suicide as a common or acceptable response to hardship. |
Report that coping skills, support, and treatment work for most people who have thoughts about suicide. |
|
Oversimplifying or speculating on the reason for the suicide. |
Describe warning signs and risk factors, including mental illness, that give the suicide context. |
|
Sensationalizing details in the headline or story. |
Report on death using facts and languages that are sensitive to a grieving family. |
|
Glamorizing or romanticizing suicide. |
Provide context and facts to counter perceptions that suicide was tied to heroism, honor, or loyalty to an individual or group. |
|
Overstating the problem of suicide by using descriptions like “epidemic” or “skyrocketing.” |
Research the best available data and use words like “increase” or “rise.” |
Checklist for Responsible Reporting
Report suicide as a public health issue
Including stories on hope, healing, and recovery may reduce the risk of contagion.
Include Resources
Provide information on the warning signs of suicide as well as a hotline and treatment resources. At a minimum, include the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and the Crisis Text Line or local crisis phone numbers.
Use Appropriate Language
Certain phrases and words can further stigmatize suicide, spread myths, and undermine suicide prevention objectives, such as “committed suicide” or referring to suicide as “successful,” “unsuccessful,” or a “failed attempt.” Instead, use “died by suicide” or “killed him/herself.”
Emphasize Help and Hope
Stories of recovery through help-seeking and positive coping skills are powerful, especially when they come from people who have experienced suicide risk.
Ask an Expert
Interview suicide prevention or mental health experts to ensure that you're sharing factual information about suicide and mental illness.
Reporting Under Unusual Circumstances
Mass Shooting
A mass shooting is where a perpetrator takes his or her own life is different from an isolated suicide.
Homicide-Suicide
A homicide-suicide is also different from an isolated suicide. The circumstances are often complex in these incidents, as they are in suicide. To minimize fear in the community, avoid speculation on motive and cite facts and statements that indicate that such events are rare. Show sensitivity to survivors in your interviews and reporting. Highlight research that shows most perpetrators of homicide-suicide have mental health or substance use problems, but remind readers that most people who experience mental illness are nonviolent.
Suggestions for Online Media, Message Boards, Bloggers, and Citizen Journalists
- Bloggers, citizen journalists, and public commentators can help reduce the risk of contagion with posts or links to treatment services, warning signs, and suicide hotlines.
- Include stories of hope and recovery, information on how to overcome suicidal thinking, and increase coping skills.
- The potential for online reports, photos/videos, and stories to go viral makes it vital that online coverage of suicide follow site or industry safety recommendations.
- Social networking sites often become memorials to the deceased and should be monitored for hurtful comments and for statements that others are considering suicide. Message board guidelines, policies, and procedures could support the removal of inappropriate and/or insensitive posts.
When should you include information about the individual’s mental health?
- Is the person who died by suicide’s mental health relevant to the story?
- What is your source for their diagnosis?
- Do you have a full understanding of the most accurate language to use?
How can you be sure that your story promotes positive mental health messaging?
Score it in less than five minutes using Stanford University’s Tool for Evaluating Media Portrayals of Suicide (TEMPOS) questionnaire.
