Suicide Reporting: An Analysis of Selected Nigerian Online News Sites (September2018-August2020)

Abstract

In 2019, the World Health Organisation released a report which revealed that Nigeria had the highest suicide rate in Africa. Employing a mixed-method approach, the researcher examined suicide reportage in Nigeria, between 2018-2020, comparing it to the standards set by the World Health Organisation’s suicide reporting guidelines. A total of 227 articles and 3 editors were examined and interviewed. The findings revealed that although the editors stated that they were aware of and followed such guidelines, suicide incidents were reported irresponsibly. The research’s result indicates that journalists need to be re-oriented on suicide and reporting best practices.