Jane Brandt Sørensen1,2, Melissa Pearson3,2, Martin Wolf Andersen1, Manjula Weerasinghe4,2, Manjula Rathnaweera5, D G Chathumini Rathnapala6, Michael Eddleston3,2, Flemming Konradsen1,2. 1. 1 Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. 2. 6 South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration (SACTRC), Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. 3. 5 Pharmacology, Toxicology, & Therapeutics, University/British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, UK. 4. 2 Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka. 5. 3 Thalawa Maha Vidyalaya, Thalawa, Sri Lanka. 6. 4 Department of English, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Irresponsible media reporting may influence suicidal behavior. Adherence to guidelines for responsible reporting of suicide has not been examined in Sri Lanka in recent times. AIMS: To examine the quality of reporting on self-harm and suicide in Sri Lankan newspapers and compare the quality between Sinhala and English newspapers. METHOD: From December 1, 2014 to January 31, 2015, 407 editions of newspapers were screened. Reporting quality was measured using the PRINTQUAL tool. RESULTS: We identified 68 articles covering an episode of self-harm or suicide (42 Sinhala and 26 English). The majority of articles were noncompliant with guidelines for sensitive reporting. Indicators of noncompliance included that newspaper articles frequently reported method in the headline (53%), included detailed characteristics of the individual (100%), used insensitive language (58% of English articles), and attributed a single-factor cause to the self-harm (52%). No information about help-seeking was included. LIMITATIONS: The study involved a relatively short period of data collection. Including social media, Tamil language newspapers, and online publications would have provided additional understanding of reporting practices. CONCLUSION: The majority of Sri Lankan newspapers did not follow the principles of good reporting, indicating a need for further training of journalists.
BACKGROUND: Irresponsible media reporting may influence suicidal behavior. Adherence to guidelines for responsible reporting of suicide has not been examined in Sri Lanka in recent times. AIMS: To examine the quality of reporting on self-harm and suicide in Sri Lankan newspapers and compare the quality between Sinhala and English newspapers. METHOD: From December 1, 2014 to January 31, 2015, 407 editions of newspapers were screened. Reporting quality was measured using the PRINTQUAL tool. RESULTS: We identified 68 articles covering an episode of self-harm or suicide (42 Sinhala and 26 English). The majority of articles were noncompliant with guidelines for sensitive reporting. Indicators of noncompliance included that newspaper articles frequently reported method in the headline (53%), included detailed characteristics of the individual (100%), used insensitive language (58% of English articles), and attributed a single-factor cause to the self-harm (52%). No information about help-seeking was included. LIMITATIONS: The study involved a relatively short period of data collection. Including social media, Tamil language newspapers, and online publications would have provided additional understanding of reporting practices. CONCLUSION: The majority of Sri Lankan newspapers did not follow the principles of good reporting, indicating a need for further training of journalists.
Entities:
Keywords:
Sri Lanka; media guidelines; self-harm; suicide; suicide reporting
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