The increase in the suicide rate has been making the news. The debate continues on how — or if — media outlets should be covering suicides at all depending on who is involved and how the death occurred. Ongoing research shows the imitative effects of media coverage of suicide to be minimal and usually under special circumstances. To minimize imitative effects, how media outlets cover suicide and how much can make a big difference.
By Bradley Wilson, MJE
An excerpt from the Journalism Education Association magazine
Communication: Journalism Education Today, winter 2018