Citation

Pirkis J, Burgess P, Blood RW, Francis C. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 2007; 37(3): 278-283.

Affiliation

School of Population Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, American Association of Suicidology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1521/suli.2007.37.3.278

PMID

17579540

Abstract

There is a paucity of studies examining which suicides are considered news-worthy. By combining data on media reports of individuals' suicides with routinely collected suicide data, it was found that 1% of Australian suicides were reported over a 1-year period. There was evidence of over-reporting of suicides by older people and females, and those involving dramatic methods. Reported suicides fell into three groups: suicides reported in a broader context; suicides by celebrities; and suicides involving unusual circumstances/methods. The data suggest a need for media professionals and suicide experts to work together to balance newsworthiness against the risk of copycat behavior.

Language: en