Jetubhai Khuman Bhagirath
Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, India.
Front Sociol. 2024 May 24;9:1370517. doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2024.1370517. eCollection 2024.
Suicide is a significant newsworthy event, and the media often cover cases involving queer individuals. However, there is a notable lack of research on the quality of reporting of queer suicide cases within the Indian context. This article aims to address the existing gap in Indian online news media by investigating the portrayal of queer suicide via content analysis. Content analysis involves qualitatively condensing and interpreting data to extract key consistencies and meanings from a plethora of qualitative material. The newspapers considered span from 2005 to 2022, with data collection conducted in 2023. The author alone identified news articles on queer suicide and conducted the subsequent content analysis. The study reveals that reporting on queer suicide tends to divide queer couples into the gender binary and describes what it deems to be careless sexual conduct driven by obsessive queer love, which, in turn, is blamed for the suicide. Moreover, these reports often do the following: feature families who refuse to accept their children's identities, adopt dread-filled tones, and cite experts who provide incorrect information while engaging in victim blaming. As a result, the quality of queer suicide reporting in Indian newspapers is deemed substandard and offensive. To address this issue, the study proposes the need for training and curriculum updates in journalistic courses. This way, reporters can develop the skills necessary to sensitively and respectfully report on queer individuals in general and on queer suicide in particular.
自杀是具有重大新闻价值的事件，媒体经常报道涉及同性恋者的案例。然而，在印度背景下，对于同性恋自杀案例报道质量的研究明显不足。本文旨在通过内容分析调查同性恋自杀的呈现方式，以填补印度在线新闻媒体的现有空白。内容分析包括对数据进行定性压缩和解读，以便从大量定性材料中提取关键的一致性内容和意义。所考虑的报纸跨度从2005年至2022年，数据收集于2023年进行。由作者独自识别有关同性恋自杀的新闻文章并进行后续的内容分析。研究表明，关于同性恋自杀的报道倾向于将同性恋伴侣划分为性别二元模式，并描述其所谓的由痴迷的同性恋爱情驱动的草率性行为，而这种行为又被归咎于自杀。此外，这些报道通常还会出现以下情况：以拒绝接受子女身份的家庭为特征，采用充满恐惧的语气，并引用提供错误信息且进行受害者指责的专家观点。因此，印度报纸对同性恋自杀的报道质量被认为不合格且具有冒犯性。为解决这一问题，该研究提出新闻课程需要进行培训和课程更新。这样，记者就能培养出必要的技能，以敏感且尊重地报道同性恋群体，尤其是同性恋自杀事件。
