Reporting Suicides Responsibly: Implementing Evidence-based Guidelines for the Media
In 2023, India reported an average of 469 deaths by suicide per day. This translates to a life lost every 3 minutes. Despite the lack of official data on the number of suicide attempts in India, it is estimated that for every life lost to suicide, more than 20 attempts are made.
In November 2022, India unveiled its National Suicide Prevention Strategy. The strategy lists, ‘advocacy for responsible reporting of suicide by the media’, as an area of immediate priority.
But why does media reporting of ‘suicide’ matter?
The media plays a key role in shaping public perception and views on topics of public interest. Research suggests that news stories that sensationalise deaths by suicide and divulge details on the method of suicide can lead to a rise in the number of imitation suicides. Conversely, stories that debunk myths and provide hope and support resources can encourage people in distress to reach out for help.
Reporting Suicides Responsibly: Implementing Evidence-based Guidelines for the Media has been developed and designed by the Centre for Mental Health Law & Policy.
Are you a news reporter or a journalism student? Sign up today!
The course will equip you with the conceptual knowledge and hands-on skills to produce ethical and responsible stories on suicide.
This is a FREE self-paced online course. The medium of instruction is English.
Grounded in expertise and experience
To ensure the course reflects diverse perspectives, it has been designed with inputs from media professionals, suicide prevention experts, persons with lived experience, and journalism students.
Participants who successfully complete the course will receive a certificate of completion from the Centre for Mental Health Law & Policy, Indian Law Society, Pune.
Copyright © 2021 Centre for Mental Health Law & Policy, Indian Law Society, Pune. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be adapted, modified, distributed, reproduced, or shared by print, photocopy, or any other means. However, the online link and information to access this course may be shared with anyone provided the author is acknowledged in full.
Learning Outcomes
The course will equip participants with:
- A nuanced understanding of the complex issue of suicide in India
- A deeper understanding on the impact and role of the media in suicide prevention
- Knowledge and application of the World Health Organization’s evidence-based guidelines for suicide reporting
- Tools to care for your own mental health when reporting on distressing events such as suicide
Methodology & Course Structure
This is a self-paced e-course. The content will be delivered through:
- Presentation videos facilitated by experts from the field
- Videos of media professionals and persons with lived experience
To enrich the virtual learning environment, we have incorporated interactive features such as, questions within presentations, guided exercises, and quizzes at the end of each module.
Extra reading material has been provided to give interested participants an in-depth understanding of the topics covered.
Modules
- Suicide in India: A reflection of data
- Perspective Building: Determinants of Suicide
- Why are we talking about the role of the Media in Suicide Prevention?
- Putting Guidelines to Practice- I
- Putting Guidelines to Practice- II
- Challenges to Implementation- Hearing from Journalists
- Additional Guidelines of Suicide Reporting
- Mental Health of Journalists
Duration
The course will be available to participants for a duration of 6 weeks, from the date of enrolment, with a possible extension to 8 weeks. For more details, please check the ‘Certification’ tab below.
Certification
Participants who complete the course within 6 weeks will receive a certificate of completion from the Centre for Mental Health Law Policy, Indian Law Society, Pune.
Please note that after 6 weeks, participants will have access to the modules and reading material for another 2 weeks but will NOT receive a certificate of completion.
Enrolment Process & Fee
This is an open course with a self-registration and enrolment process. It does not require participants to submit an application. It is available to all working journalists and journalism students at NO COST.
To enrol for the course, please follow these steps:
- Signing up for the course: Please click on the “Sign Up” button.
- Creating an account: You will be directed to a page where you will need to create an account on ‘Moodle’ by choosing a username and password. You will also need to provide some other details. Please fill in your name (‘First name’ and ‘Surname’) as you would want it to appear on your certificate.
- Verifying your account: Once you have created an account, you will receive a verification email. If you do not see the email in your inbox, please check your spam or junk mail folders.
- Selecting the course: Once you have verified your email account, it will directly sign you in to ‘Moodle’ as a student. Here you will see a list of courses available. Please select “Reporting Suicides Responsibly: Implementing Evidence-based Guidelines for the Media” from this list to access the course.
- Enrolling yourself: Once you have selected the course, it will lead you to a page where you can enrol yourself by clicking on the “Enrol Me” button.
After completing these steps, you will have successfully enrolled for the course.
If you have any questions on the process, please write to us at MediaCourse@cmhlp.org.
