John Ann, Hawton Keith, Gunnell David, Lloyd Keith, Scourfield Jonathan, Jones Phillip A, Luce Ann, Marchant Amanda, Platt Steve, Price Sian, Dennis Michael S
1 Swansea University Medical School, Institute of Life Sciences 2, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
7 Public Health Wales National Health Service Trust, Cardiff, Wales, UK.
Crisis. 2017 Jan;38(1):17-25. doi: 10.1027/0227-5910/a000410. Epub 2016 Jul 22.
Media reporting may influence suicide clusters through imitation or contagion. In 2008 there was extensive national and international newspaper coverage of a cluster of suicides in young people in the Bridgend area of South Wales, UK.
To explore the quantity and quality of newspaper reporting during the identified cluster.
Searches were conducted for articles on suicide in Bridgend for 6 months before and after the defined cluster (June 26, 2007, to September 16, 2008). Frequency, quality (using the PRINTQUAL instrument), and sensationalism were examined.
In all, 577 newspaper articles were identified. One in seven articles included the suicide method in the headline, 47.3% referred to earlier suicides, and 44% used phrases that guidelines suggest should be avoided. Only 13% included sources of information or advice.
A high level of poor-quality and sensationalist reporting was found during an ongoing suicide cluster at the very time when good-quality reporting could be considered important. A broad awareness of media guidelines and expansion and adherence to press codes of practice are required by journalists to ensure ethical reporting.
媒体报道可能通过模仿或传染影响自杀集群事件。2008年，英国南威尔士布里真德地区一群年轻人自杀事件在国内和国际报纸上得到了广泛报道。
探讨在已确认的自杀集群事件期间报纸报道的数量和质量。
对在特定集群事件（2007年6月26日至2008年9月16日）前后6个月内布里真德地区有关自杀的文章进行检索。对报道频率、质量（使用PRINTQUAL工具）和轰动效应进行了研究。
共识别出577篇报纸文章。七分之一的文章在标题中包含自杀方法，47.3%提及早期自杀事件，44%使用了指南建议应避免的措辞。只有13%的文章包含信息来源或建议。
在持续的自杀集群事件期间，发现了大量低质量和耸人听闻的报道，而此时高质量报道本应被视为重要。记者需要广泛了解媒体指南，并扩大和遵守新闻业务守则，以确保符合道德的报道。
