EYE ON ETHICS

Ms. Uy is the Readers’ Advocate of the Mindanao Insider in Davao City, 978.01 kms south of Manila, Philippines.
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In reporting suicide, a fine line divides competing interests: the public’s right to know vs. the right to privacy of the victim, public interest vs. the risk of contagion suicides. But the issues are rooted in more basic questions: Why do the media report suicides? Should they, or should they not? How should suicide be reported without doing violence to the journalistic principles of truth-telling and minimizing harm?

Almost a year ago, the Philippine media widely reported the suicide of a 12-year-old girl in Davao City. The girl, who came from a poor family, was hailed a martyr of poverty. A year later, the media continue to associate poverty with suicide. The link is tempting – after all, a third of the Philippine population is poor, food and oil prices continue to rise, and the government is constantly mired in corruption scandals.

The case provides a good study of how the media’s dramatization of suicide amidst poverty, even if well-intentioned, only befuddled the situation. The girl’s death sparked a word war between the two leading officials of Davao City.

The mayor declared there were no poor people in his city. The figures from 2006 show otherwise: poverty in Davao City worsened, with three out of 10 families declared poor. Later, the city medico-legal officer declared the girl had been raped, a questionable finding given the method and haste of the autopsy. Poverty issue closed, suicide “resolved.”

By focusing on poverty, media missed the chance to inform the public about the complex causes of suicide and how to help people at risk.

Psychologists know that suicide is not caused by a single factor or event. It is the result of many factors that usually involve a history of psychosocial problems.

In Sri Lanka, unemployment and poverty are no longer accepted as reasonable causes for suicide. Suicide prevention officers and communities have begun to understand that with this kind of reasoning, “millions would be resorting to suicide in a developing country like ours,” said a member of the Suicide Prevention Task Force in an article in the Suicide Sensitive Journalism Handbook of Sri Lanka.

The World Health Organization (WHO) also discourages reporting suicidal behavior “as an understandable response to social or cultural changes or degradation.”

Media and suicide

“The suicides most likely to attract the attention of the media are those that depart from usual patterns,” says WHO. “In fact, it is striking that cases presented in the media are almost invariably atypical and uncommon, and to represent them as typical further perpetuates misinformation about suicide.”

Studies linking media and suicide note the potentially negative influences the reports and portrayals of suicidal behavior have on people. Some news organizations have policies against reporting suicide, especially by a private person, for fear of imitation.

But to cease reporting makes the subject more shameful and may hinder those at risk from seeking help.

The Philippines has one of the lowest suicide rates in the world, at 2.5 males and 1.7 females per 100,000 persons. This data is based on the latest figure, dated 1993. In a society where suicide is taboo, and without a central registry for recording such deaths, it is difficult to arrive at exact figures. According to WHO, the number of suicides worldwide is often underestimated.

“Attitudes towards suicide vary from culture to culture, but media professionals should not seek to hide the facts,” says the UK-based media ethics charity PressWise Trust. “It is more important for the public to be aware of the phenomenon than to be ignorant of the warning signs or where to go for help to prevent suicide.”

Thus it is not news coverage itself, but the kind of coverage, that promotes contagion suicide. Done in an appropriate, accurate, and helpful manner, an enlightened media can prevent suicide, says WHO.

Especially with local media’s tendency to cover people who climb up billboards, there is great need for sensitive suicide reporting.

The Philippine press has general guidelines applicable to reporting suicides, such as not to sensationalize and to be sensitive to the bereaved. Similarly, Japan has no definitive guidelines on reporting suicide, instead relying on the reporter’s personal ethics and on the qualities of each story. By consensus, Japanese media refrain from naming an individual who died of suicide, unless the victim is a celebrity or a publicly known figure.

WHO resource

WHO has a resource for media professionals on preventing suicide. The press in Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, and Korea have guidelines on suicide reporting. Some of these are:

In 2006, the Centre for Media Studies (CMS) in India wrote a guide specifically for reporting on farmer suicides. It refers to other organizations’ recommendations for the media but notes that all suggestions do not necessarily reflect the best interests of the Indian farmer.

In particular, the center encourages a regular cycle of farmer suicide news, including front-page stories. Farmer suicides must be treated as pressing news included in an array of newspaper subsections. The media guide also includes suggested stories, such as positive work by non-government organizations, and contact information on government schemes and farmer suicide prevention organizations.

History of apathy

These recommendations are based on a history of apathy by some Indian media of a grave epidemic. “For news reporting to save lives, it must present a holistic portrayal of events,” states the CMS. “Farmers commit suicide because of debt spawned by lack of insurance, credit and industry infrastructure, but also because of the socio-cultural conventions surrounding marriage i.e. dowry, the lack of rural health care… and the rigid gender conventions restricting social and legal legitimacy of female farmers.” Responsible reporting that emphasizes farmer enabling reforms could save lives.

In every suicide story, it helps to ask the question posed by Sri Lanka’s media guide: “Will your coverage make those in the same position want to seek help or kill themselves?” The guide reminds journalists: Never forget the human side of suicide reporting. Practice journalism that acknowledges its social purpose.

Journalists know how to report news that’s of public interest, and to minimize harm. If no good can be done, then at least one must not do unjustifiable harm. Harm caused by sensationalism, unnecessary details, and irresponsible reporting cannot be justified. The stakes are high: the harm or good done can mean a life wasted or saved. It’s the critical difference between sensational reporting and sensitive reporting.