Reporting Suicide: Awareness Training for Media Professionals

This series of online resources was compiled by the MediaWise Trust (formerly PressWise Trust) as a way of responding to a series of complaints about media coverage of suicide in the United Kingdom (UK). As part of this process, MediaWise collaborated with Befrienders International to carry out research into journalism codes of conduct and training on the issue that included a comprehensive global review of research about the impact of suicide coverage.

Although conducted in the UK context, this series of online resources is designed to have global application. MediaWise periodically update these resources; as of this writing, the series includes:

• Reporting Suicide: Training Module - "The intention of the module is to encourage all media professionals to challenge assumptions and debate key ethical questions involved in media portrayal of suicidal behaviour...The practical exercises include awareness-raising, group discussion, exchange of first-hand experience, skill sharing, mutual support, collective problem-solving, case studies, editorial role-play, strategy-building and evaluation."
• UK Trainers' Notes - "The authors are experienced print and broadcast journalists, who have worked as trainers for the IFJ, PressWise and UN agencies in over 20 countries throughout Africa, Asia and Europe....Trainers may wish to invite a suicide survivor, a family member, or a representative from a suicide prevention or mental health support group to take part in one or more of the sessions, in particular to express their views (which may range from gratitude to dismay) about coverage of an actual suicide with which they have been connected....The UK trainers' notes can be downloaded here"
• International Trainers' Notes - as above, downloadable here in Word or PDF format.
• Worksheets - not yet available
• Handouts - not yet available
• References and websites - "The following documents/authorities have been consulted by PressWise trainers in compiling the notes for workshop leaders." This page also includes a list of "sites [that] were visited in preparing training materials about the coverage of suicide for media professionals in the UK."
• Covering Suicide Worldwide: Media Responsibilities - click here for a summary of this 30-page resource.