Tousignant Michel, Mishara Brian L, Caillaud Aline, Fortin Veronique, St-Laurent Danielle
CRISE, Université du Québec à Montréal, Case postale 8888, Succursale Centre ville, Montréal, Qué., Canada H3C 3P8.
Soc Sci Med. 2005 May;60(9):1919-26. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.08.054. Epub 2004 Dec 8.
Evidence of a media impact on suicide is mixed and needs further research. The main objective of this article is to document the effects of the media coverage following the suicide of a well-known and popular television reporter in Quebec, Canada. A content analysis of the printed media and an analysis of suicide rates during the following year, of coroners' records and of calls to Suicide Prevention Centres during the following 3 months was conducted. Most guidelines for responsible reporting of a suicide were not applied. The results showed a rise in the suicides rates immediately after the reporter's suicide, especially by hanging as in the original case. A cluster of six suicides by hanging also took place in the small municipality where the reporter's suicide occurred. There was also an indication of direct influence in the coroners' records and a rise in calls to Suicide Prevention Centres. This research indicates that the reporting of the suicide of a popular figure preceded an important rise in the number of suicides. A possible theoretical explanation is that a positive role model appeared to suddenly fail to cope with life, thus creating high distress and cognitive dissonance in the audience. The news media should apply more caution and follow recommended guidelines in reporting this type of news.
媒体对自杀的影响证据不一，需要进一步研究。本文的主要目的是记录加拿大魁北克一名知名且受欢迎的电视记者自杀后媒体报道所产生的影响。对平面媒体进行了内容分析，并对次年的自杀率、验尸官记录以及随后三个月内拨打自杀预防中心的电话进行了分析。大多数关于负责任报道自杀事件的指导方针并未得到应用。结果显示，记者自杀后自杀率立即上升，尤其是像原案例那样通过上吊自杀的情况。在记者自杀发生的小镇上还发生了一起六人上吊自杀的集群事件。验尸官记录中也有直接影响的迹象，拨打自杀预防中心的电话也有所增加。这项研究表明，知名人士自杀的报道在自杀数量大幅上升之前出现。一个可能的理论解释是，一个正面的榜样似乎突然无法应对生活，从而在观众中造成高度痛苦和认知失调。新闻媒体在报道这类新闻时应更加谨慎，并遵循推荐的指导方针。
