Should the media cover suicides?
There’s a compelling article in the Ryerson Review of Journalism that asks questions we should all be trying to answer about why we as an unchallenged rule immediately decide not to cover a suicide — unless, of course, it’s a “public figure.”
Author Liam Casey says: “reporters have a duty to cover all aspects of life, including death.
Suicide avoidance is a throwback to journalism’s dark days, a time when
editors and news producers could choose to ignore unpleasant matters.
But the industry can no longer justify failing to cover a tragedy that
will affect so many people, in one way or another, at some time in their
lives.”
There’s a compelling article in the Ryerson Review of Journalism that asks questions we should all be trying to answer about why we as an unchallenged rule immediately decide not to cover a suicide — unless, of course, it’s a “public figure.”
Author Liam Casey says: “reporters have a duty to cover all aspects of life, including death.
Suicide avoidance is a throwback to journalism’s dark days, a time when
editors and news producers could choose to ignore unpleasant matters.
But the industry can no longer justify failing to cover a tragedy that
will affect so many people, in one way or another, at some time in their
lives.”
