Should the media report suicides? No, says Institute of Journalists

Malta’s institute of journalists has issued its first public statement since the tragic events of 19 March, in which the life of a 15-year-old girl was lost in a suicide, calling on the mainstream media not to report suicides. 

It has been an unwritten agreement between mainstream media not to report suicides, but now the Institute of Maltese Journalists has stepped to remind media houses of the need for an ethical standard to stand.

“The enormous potential impact of the recent tragic events on countless youths, already stressed as they prepare for national examinations, vulnerable individuals with emotional difficulties, and the population at large, calls for raising rather than lowering the threshold, and greater self-restraint and décor by all involved,” IGM chairman Malcolm Naudi said.

On Thursday, 10 March, the compilation of evidence against supply teacher Erin Tanti, 23, accused of murder and the assisted suicide of Lisa Maria Zahra, 15, continues. Tanti denies the charges.  

According to IĠM Chairman Malcolm J. Naudi: “We are the first to support that the reporting of the proceedings in court is privileged but the shocking content that is emerging leads the Institute to appeal for prudence for the sake of our children and all those who are vulnerable – irrespective of this case.”

MaltaToday has been reporting the court proceedings of the compilation of evidence, but has closed its comment threads to limit any speculation on the court proceedings that would be detrimental to the news report.

“There has been a long-standing, unwritten arrangement, which the mainstream media have largely followed, that suicides are not reported,” Naudi said.

Naudi also said the IGM wanted to remind journalists using personal websites and social media fora, “of their responsibility towards society and the profession in the reporting of suicides” when reporting, commenting and openly speculating about the developments related to the death of a teenage minor.

“In instances like this, the IĠM appeals for prudence and restraint in the level of detail that is reaching the public domain. Irrespective of the source and the freedom of speech that is rightly being exercised, attention should be paid to the implications of what is being published in whatever medium and how many people can be affected by this information: the families of those involved, underage teenagers and children, who are highly impressionable, and all those who can be susceptible to copycat actions as a result of the information communicated.”

The IGM has recommended the Canadian Psychiatric Association’s 2008 guidelines on reporting of suicides, saying that there was significant evidence demonstrating that media reporting of suicides is linked to copycat suicides among youths and young adults under 24.

Reportingonsuicide.org states that the risk of additional suicides increases when the story explicitly describes the suicide method, or when extensive coverage sensationalises or glamorises a death.