When covering an issue as sensitive as self-harm, suicide, or suicidal ideation the stakes are especially high, so producers, filmmakers, and journalists need to be particularly thoughtful about their language. The use of particular words and phrases truly matter.
“Headlines, language, images and even the decision to report on suicide can all have an impact on individuals and the general public,” according to a useful guide compiled by the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Over time what is deemed as acceptable language for covering this topic has evolved.
“In the two decades that I’ve worked in television, I have noticed a shift in language,” said Liz Adeola, host and producer of Utah Insight, a weekly public affairs program on PBS Utah. “I’m glad that we have evolved and, for the most part, have moved towards language that doesn’t blame or condemn those who die by suicide but instead we use language that acknowledges them as human beings who lived in pain and saw no other way out.”
Utah has historically ranked in the top 10 states with the highest suicide rate. Adeola doesn’t shy away from talking about the issue on her program and putting it into context, whether that’s looking at how residents in certain areas struggle or how COVID-19 impacted people’s mental health.
The PBS core principle of accuracy requires more than simply verifying that information is correct. “Facts must be placed in sufficient context based on the nature of the piece to ensure that the public is not misled,” the Editorial Standards & Practices state. “Producers must also be mindful of the language used to frame the facts to avoid deceiving or misleading the audience or encouraging false inferences.”
Resources such as the AP Stylebook and Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics also provide general best practices for covering suicide. The latest available guidelines developed by The Poynter Institute and others for reporting on the topic include changes such as using “died by suicide” or “took their life” rather than terms such as “committed suicide.” When reporting on a suicide, the details should be kept general. The specific means by which the person died or what they may have written in a note are often not necessary to include and can even be harmful.
According to a paper published by the National Library of Medicine: “Reporting and portrayal of suicidal behaviour in the media may have potentially negative influences and facilitate suicidal acts by people exposed to such stimuli. Recent systematic reviews by others and ourselves have found overwhelming evidence for such effects.” Similarly, research published in 2021 in The Lancet medical journal conducted meta-analyses of suicidal outcomes and determined that portrayals of suicide in media may meaningfully increase attempted suicide, finding that: “Guidelines to encourage responsible reporting of suicide in news media are a key component of suicide prevention strategies.”
Editorial guidelines also suggest providing resources for viewers. PBS regularly provides top-of-show viewer advisories and shares the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline along with the 741741 crisis text line. For instance, the PBS documentary Niagara Movement: The Early Battle for Civil Rights includes an advisory at the beginning of the program and a resource card at the end of the program because the program briefly covers the deaths by suicide of the historical figures Barbara Pope and William Trotter.
According to Adeola, Utah Insight takes care to consider if any details are “crucial to the story and necessary to help viewers understand the issue or the interview subject who is sharing their experience.” Adeola explained: “I would never want to re-traumatize or trigger a viewer or the person who I’ve interviewed so I go above and beyond to make sure that my interview subject is comfortable with sharing what we’ve discussed with a larger audience, and I make sure they know how the information will be used in the story and where it will be available for people to watch. I think it is important to consider all aspects of who may be viewing an episode or story that covers suicide. I ask myself if what we’re sharing is something our viewers can watch while eating dinner with their children, how the program could impact someone who has lost a loved one to suicide, or even a person dealing with suicidal ideation.”
John Daniszewski, Vice President for Standards at The Associated Press, wrote in a column, “Experts argue that media can play a critical role in showing that suicide is not inevitable. It is very important in our coverage to provide information about the various suicide-prevention and mental health resources that may help prevent more deaths.”
Adeola said she also tries to share action items that viewers can use or share with loved ones. During Utah Insight, she asks the directors to keep the telephone numbers on the screen during as much of the discussion as possible. In addition to what’s shared on the screen, a larger list of resources is made available on the show’s companion website.
“To this day, I’m still learning and trying to figure out how best to cover this topic in a human-first way that respects the reality of the lived experiences of the individuals who live with suicidal thoughts and those who perish. I feel like the industry has made incredible improvements, but we still have a long way to go,” Adeola said.
Contact Standards & Practices at standards@pbs.org