Assessing adherence to guidelines of media reporting on suicide based on the Precaution Adoption Process Model and Agenda-Setting Theory

Abstract

The World Health Organization named suicide prevention a global imperative with the media playing an integral role in it. By employing the Precaution Adoption Process Model (PAPM) and Agenda-Setting Theory as the theoretical framework, this study aimed to examine the coverage on suicide by The Star, which is an English-language daily with the largest circulation in Malaysia. A five-year (2014–18) range of news coverage was assessed for its adherence to the Malaysian guidelines for media reporting on suicide. The findings showed that the coverage on suicide by The Star was mostly in the form of straight news, whereby articles performed the disseminator role of news media providing facts or quote sources, without including journalists’ interpretation on the suicide incidents. The most common source quoted in the coverage were authorities such as police and government officials. The overall adherence of The Star’s suicide coverage with Malaysian guidelines for media reporting on suicide was mixed. Adherence was adequate (>60 per cent) on some items of the guidelines but extremely low (<18 per cent) for other specific recommendations. The practical implications of the findings are discussed with regard to the implementation and monitoring of media guidelines for suicide reporting, as well as professional education and training of journalists and media–mental health professionals liaison.