Suicide Prevention Foundation Publishes Reporting Guidelines

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has posted recommendations for news organizations reporting on suicide. The foundation says that while news coverage informs the public and can help them get the assistance they need, there is also the possibility of spreading misinformation and inadvertently contributing to suicide contagion. The guidelines are available as a PDF which can be printed and posted via the web page: http://www.afsp.org/understanding-suicide/for-the-media/reporting-on-suicide.

The Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry supports these guidelines and urges news agencies to us them in our most recent radio public service announcement:

Suicide Reporting in Media, MP3, 346KB

Posted in In The News.