Reporting of Suicide in the New Zealand Media: Content and case study analysis.

1. Reporting of Suicide in the NewZealand Media: Content and case study analysis.

2. Team from the Centre for Mental Health Research, University of Auckland. • Dr Brian McKenna – lead investigator • Dr Katey Thom – sociologist • Gareth Edwards – service user academic • Tony O’Brien – academic clinician • Dr Ray Nairn – media analysis expert • Ingrid Leary – journalist • Expert Reference Group (cultural expertise)

3. Background – a public health issue • Suicide rate in New Zealand • 500 deaths annually • Hospitalisations x5 this number annually

4. Background • Impact of media coverage on suicide • Evidence of negative impact of sensational reporting • International guidelines • Ministry of Health Guidelines 1999 • Coroner’s Act 2006 • No New Zealand studies

5. Research aims • Descriptive baseline account of media reporting • Alignment with Ministry of Health guidelines • Includes five case studies • Informed by a similar Australian study- the Australian media monitoring project • Adapted to NZ context

6. How the study was undertaken • Quantitative description of nature and extent of reporting • Over a 12 month period from August 1st 2008 • Newspaper, TV, radio and internet news sites • Applied quality indictors to a random 10% of data • Qualitative five case studies (framing analysis)

7. Qualitative case studies (framing analysis) • Celebrity • New technology • Murder-suicide • Economic crisis • Mental health services

8. Findings descriptive overview • 3,483 items over a 12-month period • Spikes in reporting • Bain re-trail. • Alleged suicide attempts by a celebrity • Most reporting in the newspapers – 50% • Most of completed suicide – 57% in newspapers

9. Findings descriptive overview • ‘Mass mediated reality’ = ‘official reality’ • Culture • Gender • Suicidal behaviour • Method

10. Findings – quality indicators (10%) • Most guidelines followed • Page one and headline exposure. • Avoidance of methods • Avoidance of visuals • Room for improvements • Link to mental illness • Overcoming difficulties • Help-seeking information

11. Case study 1 • Celebrity • Making the ‘unremarkable’, ‘remarkable’ • Highlights the ‘worst’ and the ‘best’

12. Case study 2 • Murder- suicide • Reporting of murder over rides suicide • Except Christchurch event • Cultural stereotyping

13. Case study 3 • Economic crisis • Predominance of discussions regarding the wealthy • Acceptable response • What is the role of mental health in relationship to these events?

14. Case study 4 • New technology • “How to” websites • Text bullying • Completed suicide filmed on the internet • Technology out of control • Problem not solution based reporting

15. Case study 5 • Mental health services • Apportioning blame • Failure of services • Missing voice of mental health services

16. Discussion – but the reporting is good overall !!! • Why? • Adhere to guidelines • Adhere to Coroners Act • Good ethical reporting is the norm

17. Discussion – do we need the Guidelines? • To assist new professionals • To maintain professional standards • Need reviewing – research difficulty • Collaborative review • Must be driven by journalists

18. Discussion – do we need Coroner’s Act control? • Chief Coroner has opened the debate • Will more information assist in prevention? • Are guidelines for Coroner’s needed?

19. The full report is available publicly from the Te Pou website