Which Suicides Are Reported in themedia - and what makes them "Newsworthy"?

Abstract

Background: Media reporting of suicide has attracted public health attention because of its potential to trigger "copycat" acts. Aims: To determine the factors associated with an individual suicide featuring in the media. Method: We identified from the National Coroners Information System (NCIS) all suicides that occurred in Australia over a 1-year period and established those that were reported in the Australian media using data from our earlier Media Monitoring Project. Available variables were used to examine factors associated with a suicide being reported in the media. Results: Of the 2,161 suicides, 29 were reported in the media. Suicides by younger individuals were particularly likely..