Media recommendations for responsible coverage - SAVE: Suicide Prevention, Information, and Awareness

The public health issue of suicide, and some suicide deaths, are newsworthy. Best practices should inform media coverage and discussion of subject matter relating to suicide. It’s important to remember that coverage of suicide can either negatively influence audience behavior by contributing to contagion or have the positive impact of encouraging help-seeking.

Responsible media coverage saves lives.

When covering suicide, authors must consider the risk of contagion. Suicide contagion or “copycat suicide” occurs when one or more suicides are reported in a way that contributes to additional suicide(s).

Fortunately, we can report on suicide in a way that empowers truth-telling about the complexities of suicide while maintaining health of the general public. Media can take steps to minimize the possibility that its coverage will contribute to additional suicides. In its coverage, media can also proactively raise suicide awareness and address means of preventing suicide.

Download our Best Practices and Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide

These recommendations were established using a consensus model developed by SAVE.

SAVE developed the above recommendations in collaboration with several international suicide prevention and public health organizations, journalism schools, media organizations, journalists, and internet safety experts, including: American Association of Suicidology, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Psychoanalytic Association, Annenberg Public Policy Center, Associated Press Managing Editors, Canterbury Suicide Project – University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Crisis Text Line, Columbia University Department of Psychiatry, ConnectSafely.org, International Association for Suicide Prevention Task Force on Media and Suicide, Medical University of Vienna, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Institute of Mental Health, National Press Photographers Association, The Net Safety Collaborative, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, New York State Psychiatric Institute, The Poynter Institute, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, Suicide Prevention Resource Center and Vibrant Emotional Health.