Responsible reporting on suicide in Slovenia: Are we there yet?

Abstract

Exposure to media reporting on suicide can be both a risk and a protective factor, as (ir)responsible reporting on suicide can have different effects on vulnerable people. Since online media are increasingly important in everyday life, this study aimed to examine how the three most widely read Slovenian online media report on suicide. 114 online media articles published between 1 January and 31 December 2017 were included in the study and assessed for compliance with recommendations on responsible media reporting on suicide, and inclusion of harmful and protective characteristics. Different articles included or adhered to different recommendations, and harmful and protective characteristics. The correlation between compliance with recommendations, and the inclusion of protective and harmful characteristics suggests that although articles comply with recommendations, they do not necessarily contain enough protective information. The study confirms patterns observed in other studies while providing a first insight into Slovenian online media reporting on suicide. Further research is needed to confirm our findings while considering different online media. Additionally, future studies should focus on other aspects of reporting on suicide, e.g., comments under online media articles, which might also impact readers.