Reporting on suicide in Malaysia: Problem characterization and solution advocacy by media

Abstract

Rising incidents of suicide capture the attention of healthcare providers, government agencies, non-governmental organizations and media. Furthermore, public conversations about social problems are largely mediated by the media. It is noteworthy that media have the power to shape the way the public thinks about an issue by suggesting what the issue is about, what the cause is, and what should be done as a solution. The current study aims to examine suicide coverage in Malaysia, particularly the problem characterization and solution advocacy by The Star in reporting suicide from 2014 to 2018. The Star is the English-language daily newspaper with the largest circulation in Malaysia. Through content analysis, the study found that there was a statistically significant difference between the number of articles reporting suicide and the different years. Most of the coverage was published in the form of straight news with a negative depiction of suicide. There was reporting on both local and international suicide news. In addition, suicide was linked to various issues (e.g. mental health, relationship or marriage problems, financial problems, workplace stress, etc.) in the coverage. The study also found a significant difference between issue narrative styles and suicide solutions. The practical implications of the findings are discussed with regard to the role of media in raising awareness of suicide, promoting prevention and intervention efforts at the institutional level, as well as undertaking a more robust interpretive approach in addressing the issue.

Media Exposure of Suicidal Behaviour: An Umbrella Review

“…Silencing suicide does not contribute to reducing the number of victims, but rather causes a continuous stigmatization of the event and its consequent consideration as a taboo subject by society [33]. The figure of the gatekeeper in the media is key to the prevention of suicidal behaviour, understood as the person who acts as an information specialist, not only with a reactive capacity, responding effectively to the demands for information that they receive, but also proactively, anticipating information needs before they are perceived [14]. Promoting the figure of the gatekeeper is a line of action to develop competencies for the prevention of suicidal behaviour in social agents who are in direct contact with the population [11].…”

“Dressed like boys, hair trimmed, a nalla kutti otherwise”: construction of queer suicide in Indian online news media

“…This underscores the critical need for responsible and sensitive suicide reporting. Several international studies have been conducted to identify issues and errors in reporting that can inform responsible reporting practices (Blood et al, 2007;McTernan et al, 2018;Fong, 2021;Sørensen et al, 2021;Arafat et al, 2022). These studies have shed light on the generally poor quality of suicide news reporting.…”

“…These studies have shed light on the generally poor quality of suicide news reporting. Notably, they indicate that journalists in countries like the US, Australia, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Ireland, and Malaysia frequently fail to adhere to established reporting guidelines aimed at minimising potential harm resulting from irresponsible coverage of suicide (Blood et al, 2007;McTernan et al, 2018;Fong, 2021;Sørensen et al, 2021;Arafat et al, 2022).…”

Portrayal of Mental Illness in Malaysian Newspapers: A Thematic Analysis of Online News Reports

“…This guideline is also applicable to any other mental health-related issues, including the reporting of mental illness. Unfortunately, the efficiency of Malaysia's media-related suicide prevention monitoring and implementation activities is still questionable since studies have proven that the media still negatively report on suicide and mental health-related issues in Malaysia (Johari et al, 2017;Razali et al, 2018;Fong et al, 2018;Victor et al, 2019;Fong, 2021). The guidelines for suicidal reporting in Malaysia do not apply to addressing other mental health-related issues and reporting since suicidal tendencies are not necessarily caused by dwindling mental health.…”