Reporting Guidelines
General Press Release No. 246 (i) (July 2001)

Reporting of Suicide

The Press Council is in sympathy with attempts by governmental and other bodies to curb the rate of suicide in Australia, particularly amongst young people. It calls upon the press to continue exercising care and responsibility in reporting matters of suicide and mental illness.

The Council notes that relatively little Australian research has been conducted on suicide. Most reviews reported so far are based on overseas experience, but the findings are inconclusive.

Some researchers claim that an association exists between media portrayal of suicide and actual suicide, and that in some cases the link is causal. Others, on the other hand, suggest that increased reporting of suicide can act as a deterrent to people at risk, and can draw attention to the social problems that may lead to the contemplation of suicide.

The Council believes that most papers are aware of the desirability of treating suicide with restraint, and of avoiding:

• Adding to the pain of relatives and friends of the deceased;
• Any reporting which might encourage copy-cat suicides or self harm;
• Unnecessary reference to details of method or place of a suicide:
• Language or presentation which trivialises, romanticises, or glorifies suicide, particularly in papers which target a youth readership;
• Loose or slang use of terms to describe various forms of mental illness, and the risk of stigmatising vulnerable people that may accompany such labels.

The Council also strongly commends to editors the suggestion that articles dealing with suicide, when they are deemed necessary, should include reference to the counselling services available to people in emotional distress and to their families, with contact addresses and phone numbers.

The Council recognises there are exceptions where these desirable aims may be outweighed by the pressure of news and public interest.

Suicides are generally not reported in newspapers, but mass suicides, suicides by public figures, bizarre cases, the continuing debate around voluntary euthanasia, research and statistical analysis, and other aspects of suicide and mental illness are all legitimate matters of public interest and concern.

Precise rules or guidelines, as advocated by some groups, cannot take adequate account of such exceptions. Instead, the Press Council prefers to encourage responsible approaches in the industry to the reporting of suicide and mental illness, and consultation with reputable associations, research centres, counselling services and health authorities when seeking comment for articles on these issues.

This GPR supersedes an earlier press release on suicide: GPR No. 189.

see also
August 2000 submission on suicide reporting
February 1998 article on suicide reporting
Reporting of Suicide - A report on a roundtable convened by the Council
Dr Graham Martin on responsible reporting

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Index of guidelines

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