Posted by badhaircut on January 17, 2004, at 8:29:06
Newspapers that detail every other kind of homicide often skip over any mention of a suicide. Part of the reason they don't report is apparently that they're afraid of inspiring copy-cats. (A reasonable fear.)
But by ignoring the story altogether, they also don't report the devastated family and friends, the horrific aftermath, the "if-only-we'd-known" agony. They don't highlight how irrational, short-sighted, and mistaken the decision to commit suicide is in every instance.
Maybe a headline could be "Local Man Commits Short-Sighted Act."
This is an article about reporting on suicides that urges more coverage as a public health issue, with guidelines to discourage copy-cats -- for example, don't report on the actual method used: http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=54176
I mention suicide reporting now because of the recent reports about increased suicides by U.S. soldiers in Iraq.
-bhc
poster:badhaircut
thread:301950
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040116/msgs/301950.html