Media reluctant to use ‘S’ word
Suicide a taboo subject for many journalistsMIDLAND – The word “suicide” has long been the steel trap of the newspaper business, clamping down on discussion and cutting off all possibility of legitimate coverage.
Early in my career as a reporter in Orangeville, I attended what appeared to be a crime scene: emergency personnel everywhere, police tape around the home, neighbours milling about, a woman sobbing in the driveway.
Police tried to chase me away, but I stuck around for what appeared to be a big news story. Only when I was quietly and unofficially informed that a suicide had taken place did I back off.
Every reporter has a similar story with a similar ending.
Almost without exception, the media does not report on suicides. The usual explanation is that we don’t want to encourage desperate copycats looking for a way to gain the attention in death that they failed to attract in life. The feelings of friends and loved ones can also weigh against publication of the real cause of death.
That being said, journalism’s first duty is to the truth, so it is strange how the sad truth that some people take their own lives is seen as off-limits to journalists.
Could the real reason be the stigma that is still attached to mental illness in general, and suicide in particular?
Talking about such issues, however, can be helpful. It can encourage public discussion about depression and the serious mental-health issues that affect up to 20 per cent of Canadians.
Suicide is 10th on the list of causes of death in Canada. It is second for those between the ages of 15 and 24. Perhaps it’s time the media stopped being afraid of telling such an enormously important and far-reaching story.
All of this background informed The Mirror’s decision this week to report as fully as possible on the death of Southern Georgian Bay OPP Sgt. Douglas Marshall.
Despite the rumours racing around the community, police would not name the officer who died, or even confirm that a death had taken place.
However, there are times when a suicide becomes a legitimate matter of public interest. Any time a police officer uses his or her weapon in an unauthorized way, it raises questions about what could have been done to prevent it.
There’s also the unsettling possibility of a depressed individual with a weapon lashing out at those around him. I’m thankful that wasn’t the case here, but this newspaper must ask whether there was a risk to the public or other officers, and whether the OPP has adequate mental-health safeguards in place.
As well, the fact that Marshall, a public official, chose to end his life in a public building suggests privacy was not his top consideration. The closure of the Highway 12 detachment for almost a week is another argument in favour of full reporting.
I join Marshall’s friends, colleagues and family members in mourning his death, and I regret if anyone feels The Mirror is besmirching his memory by reporting factually on this case. That was not the intention.
If we are to erase the shame of mental illness, talking about it is the first step. The media can and should play a leading role.
http://www.simcoe.com/article/1336874-- ... use-s-word