New Media and Suicide
The internet has brought
additional opportunities and challenges for journalists due to the
speed and ease of accessing and publishing information. Points of
view can now be presented more quickly and easily but sometimes
without review or factual basis. It can be difficult for some
readers to understand the distinction between what is fact and what
is opinion. If you are posting your story onto a news website or
blog please consider the following points:
General tips
- Avoid linking to, or mentioning, the names of websites that
encourage or glamorise suicide, except those that promote positive
alternatives and support services. Helpful websites offering
support are listed at www.samaritans.org/links.
- Try to exercise care and judgement in the creation of news
stories that will appear online, as they can often be surrounded by
adverts and commentary that are outside the control of the author.
Additional features on the page can create a negative context,
allowing, for example, adverts promoting depression aids to appear
alongside articles on mental health.
- Add hyperlinks to sources of support to ensure that people in
distress can access useful resources quickly. Consider promoting
www.samaritans.org within
the UK and Ireland or our worldwide equivalent, www.befrienders.org beyond these
regions.
Reader feedback
- The ability to comment on articles or blog posts gives readers
the opportunity to glamorise suicide or present controversial
opinions about suicidal tendencies and mental health. The relative
anonymity of the secomments can encourage debates that are
inappropriate for a news website, and potentially damaging to other
readers.
- Responsible websites ensure that the terms and conditions each
commentator agrees to when contributing online are explicit in what
constitutes inappropriate material, and how it will be dealt with.
In addition, site owners and moderators should understand the
implications of allowing these comments to be published on their
website.
- Wherever possible, attempt to educate your audience to
understand how to use the feedback section with full consideration
of everyone’s health, safety and wellbeing, and the right of the
publisher to remove inappropriate content.
- Consider making it clear to users that feedback services are
moderated, whether manually or electronically.
Search
engines
Samaritans works closely with the Internet Service Providers
Association (ISPA), Internet Services Providers Association of
Ireland (ISPAI) and the search engine industry to implement
‘safe-search’ protocols to effectively promote our support services
above potentially harmful sites. This is based on the dissemination
by Samaritans of a list of search keywords and phrases used by
individuals exploring suicide. Whenever an individual types in any
of these words the search engine provider has agreed to prioritise
Samaritans’ website as the first result on the page (and if
possible on following pages). If you are a search engine provider
or contribute to a website using embedded search engine results,
please ensure it is running a system which similarly promotes
positive sites above potentially harmful ones.
Useful resources
Please consider placing a link to Samaritans’ website: www.samaritans.org and our support
email address: jo@samaritans.org on your pages in
addition to our helpline numbers:08457 90 90 90 (UK) or 1850 60 90
90 (Republic of Ireland).
Samaritans’ logos can be found at www.samaritans.org/logo. For
other online promotional materials please email: webmaster@samaritans.org. For
guidance on monitoring websites / user-group discussions for
potentially harmful content please email: webmaster@samaritans.org.