Adherence to suicide reporting guidelines by news shared on a social networking platform

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Media Studies
• Psychology

Background:

• Suicide rates in the US are at a 20-year high, with suicide contagion a recognized public health concern.
• Existing guidelines for media reporting on suicide aim to prevent contagion, but their adoption is limited.
• Publishers often perceive sensational content as more engaging, hindering voluntary adherence to safe reporting practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze adherence to suicide reporting guidelines in news shared on social media.
• To assess the impact of adherence to safe reporting practices on reader engagement.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of Facebook data concerning news articles about suicide.
• Quantitative assessment of harmful and protective elements in shared articles.
• Statistical analysis to determine the association between adherence to guidelines and engagement metrics (reshare likelihood, positive reactions).

Main Results:

• Harmful elements were prevalent, while protective elements were rare in suicide news on social media.
• Closer adherence to safe reporting practices correlated with increased reshares (AOR=1.19) and positive engagement (AOR=1.20).
• The US showed lower mean safe reporting scores compared to other English-speaking nations, with variations by publisher.

Conclusions:

• Empirical evidence suggests that adhering to suicide reporting guidelines can enhance, not hinder, publisher reach and engagement.
• Improved adherence benefits both public health by reducing suicide contagion and publisher goals for visibility.
• Findings challenge the perception that sensationalism drives engagement, offering a data-driven approach to responsible reporting.