Many people would agree that suicide is not their primary choice of conversation, as it's a touchy subject to bring up and they would rather avoid speaking about it all together. However, most news organizations would argue that reporting on suicides is noteworthy and that the more they inform society about the issue the more awareness it will bring. Although this may be true, it can also be very dangerous for individuals who may be more vulnerable than others. I believe that in order to prevent further suicides from occurring, news organizations should not be allowed to report on suicides as they could potentially, spark the notion of suicide contagion, normalize the concept, as well as glamorize the idea of suicide.
Media organizations may believe that they are helping the lives of many by reporting on the deaths of people who have taken their own lives, however, what they are actually doing is implementing suicide contagion. This is one of the main risk factors that health care professionals are worried about, as mentioned in the CDC article. Suicide contagion, "exposure to the suicide or suicidal behaviour of one or more persons influences others to commit or attempt suicide." With that being said, having news organizations describe in detail about how the individual had committed suicide may result in more "copy cat" suicides to occur. For example, the popular Netflix show 13 Reasons Why may have played a part in the death of a 23-year-old man who had committed suicide and left behind a list of names that he had made recordings for on his computer, similar to the plot of the show. In addition to news organizations spreading suicide contagion, in today's society there is now a wide variety of media platforms that may ignite suicidal behaviour. Jason Pohl of Colordoan mentions in this article "there are new forums of media that can and most definitely create a higher risk of exposure of suicide-related content that could facilitate the media contagion." Which is why guidelines were made to avoid potential triggers .
Having a wide range of news organizations definitely has a lot of positive factors. Unfortunately, it also comes with some negatives. With so many news media platforms reporting on different suicide cases it could potentially normalize the idea of suicide. This can be very dangerous for individuals who are going through difficult periods in their lives as it may insinuate that suicide is an option when one is in troublesome times, when in fact it should never even be a thought. In addition, promoting campaigns that gives people misleading hope is also a negative factor that comes with having many news media platforms. As Steve Ladurantaye mentions in this Globe and Mail article, "campaigns such as It Gets Better charge that any message of hope that revolves around specific causes of suicides is a step in the wrong direction because it ignores so many other factors that might contribute." The impact of media on suicide is more likely when specified as mentioned in this article. No one is able to know what is going on in someone else's head as there could be a million possibilities. This is what makes it so difficult to understand what had driven someone to take their own life because there is never just one straightforward answer. As stated in the same Globe and Mail article, a girl left her mother a note that had blamed bullies for her decision. Later, reporters found details that "there are no simple answers when it comes to suicide." This is why news organizations should not report on the causes of suicides because they may underestimate all the smaller factors that could have induced it.
Whenever someone passes away why is it that we always acknowledge the positive things about that person? Even if no one was really fond of that individual when they were alive, we still try to find something admirable to say about them. Although this may seem like the most suitable thing to do after one's death, in some cases, we should refrain from doing so. For example, if a young girl commits suicide people would say "she was so beautiful and smart," and end up missing the fact that she may have had a mental illness. This is dangerous for people who are susceptible, as it glamorizes the concept of suicide, as well as, promotes the idea that suicide will bring the praise and attention that they've always wanted. Natasha Tracey addresses in this article that "people who attempt suicide do not want to die - they just want to end their pain; it just so happens that they see no way of doing that except through death." This is why reporters should not write long, meaningful eulogies about people who have taken their own lives, as it may influence others that are going through a difficult time to follow their actions.
I will admit that there are some benefits from news organizations reporting on suicides, such as, providing vulnerable individuals with contact information to receive help and methods on how to deal with their problems in a suitable form. However, the positive assets can not overshadow the negative factors that come along with reporting on suicides. This is why I am against news media platforms reporting on suicides.
For most people life is seen as the ultimate gift, while for others it's seen as a burden. These people are constantly carrying a heavy load around with them which is why we need to be cautious about what we say or do because one wrong word and they may just drop the load forever. Which is why I think news organizations shouldn't report on suicides at all as they could possibly induce suicide contagion, make suicide prevalent, and make suicide appear desirable to those who are vulnerable.
Sources:
Hawton, K. (2002, December 14) Influences of the media on suicide. The BMJ. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1124845/
O'Carroll, P.W. et al. (1994, April 22) Suicide Contagion and the Reporting of Suicide: Recommendations from a National Workshop. CDC. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00031539.htm
Arnett, A. (2017) 23-Year Old's Suicide Possibly Inspired By Netflix Drama '13 Reasons Why'. Konbini. Retrieved from
http://www.konbini.com/us/lifestyle/peruvian-man-suicide-possibly-inspired-by-13-reasons-why/?variante=2&utm_expid=.xpRCXwEGQiqQS9OB8MU5Tg.1&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.konbini.com%2Fus%2Flifestyle%2Fperuvian-man-suicide-possibly-inspired-by-13-reasons-why%2F
Pohl, J. (2016, February 5) The psychology behind reporting on suicides. Colordoan. Retrieved from http://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2016/02/05/effects-suicide-coverage-crossroads/79522496/
Ladurantaye, S. (2011, December 10) How the taboo against reporting on suicide met its end. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/conditions/how-the-taboo-against-reporting-on-suicide-met-its-end/article4181695/?page=all
Tracy, N. (2016, April 11) So What If a Suicide Attempt Is a 'Cry for Attention?'. Healthy Place. Retrieved from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/breakingbipolar/2016/04/so-what-if-a-suicide-attempt-is-a-cry-for-attention/
Homes, L. (2015, September 4) The Dangerous Consequences Of Suicide Reporting. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/suicide-reporting-guideli_n_5754288
Monday, 31 July 2017
Monday, 10 July 2017
Blog Post Rough Draft
Blog Post Rough Draft
Many people would agree that suicide is not their primary choice of conversation. As it is a touchy subject to bring up and they would rather avoid speaking about it all together. However, most news organizations would disagree and argue that reporting on suicides is noteworthy and that the more they inform society about the issue the more awareness it will bring. Although this may be true, it can also be very dangerous for individuals who may suffer from a mental illness as they are exposed to the concept of suicide and how to act upon it. By news organizations constantly reporting on suicides they could potentially normalize the idea and illustrate the notion that suicide and self harm are an option and that it is the "only way out," when in actuality it should never be an option. Many health care professionals would also agree that providing details about the procedure or mechanisms that the suicide completer had used may facilitate more "copy cat" suicide attempts. For example, the popular Netflix show 13 Reasons Why may have played a part in the death of 23-year-old man who commit suicide and left behind a list of names that he had made recording for on his computer, similar to the plot of the show. Even though the media may think they are doing this for the good of society, I believe that in order to prevent further suicides from occurring, news organizations should not be allowed to report on suicides. In addition, by reporting on suicides in full detail, media organizations are not only promoting the idea of suicide, they are also normalizing the concept of it, as well as glamorizing the image of suicide.
Outline:
Many people would agree that suicide is not their primary choice of conversation. As it is a touchy subject to bring up and they would rather avoid speaking about it all together. However, most news organizations would disagree and argue that reporting on suicides is noteworthy and that the more they inform society about the issue the more awareness it will bring. Although this may be true, it can also be very dangerous for individuals who may suffer from a mental illness as they are exposed to the concept of suicide and how to act upon it. By news organizations constantly reporting on suicides they could potentially normalize the idea and illustrate the notion that suicide and self harm are an option and that it is the "only way out," when in actuality it should never be an option. Many health care professionals would also agree that providing details about the procedure or mechanisms that the suicide completer had used may facilitate more "copy cat" suicide attempts. For example, the popular Netflix show 13 Reasons Why may have played a part in the death of 23-year-old man who commit suicide and left behind a list of names that he had made recording for on his computer, similar to the plot of the show. Even though the media may think they are doing this for the good of society, I believe that in order to prevent further suicides from occurring, news organizations should not be allowed to report on suicides. In addition, by reporting on suicides in full detail, media organizations are not only promoting the idea of suicide, they are also normalizing the concept of it, as well as glamorizing the image of suicide.
Outline:
-Intro and Thesis
-Argument
Constantly reporting on suicide could normalize/glamorize the idea of suicide.
Those who suffer from a mental illness would be exposed to the concept of suicide and how to act upon it.
Providing details about the procedure/mechanisms on what the individual used may create the notion of more "copy cat" suicides.
-Opposing Argument
By having news organizations report on suicides they are creating awareness on the issue and could provide ways to get help.
-Conclusion
News organizations should not report on suicides.
Sources:
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