Suicide Averted
Can a person's intention to die by suicide ever be newsworthy? If so, how can it be covered ethically? It has been estimated that for every actual suicide, there are as many as 400 attempts that do not end in death. That suggests suicidal intention won't very often be considered news.
But what if...
An attempt occurrs in a public place and causes significant disruption?
An attempt raises a significant public policy issue?
There is some other public good to weigh in the balance?
After the fact, suicide attempts are quite often mentioned in features, in which the different context, properly obtained consent and the overall story arc are relevant factors. A person featured in this way will often talk about their own experience.
In the context of daily news that happens very rarely, for good reasons. A person who has just tried to kill themselves will not be in a fit state to reflect meaningfully on the experience, or indeed to give informed consent to be interviewed. Media pressure at such a time cannot be ethical.
But what if one or more of the factors that can make an incident newsworthy is significantly present and the individual involved is not named or otherwise identified? Many journalists would argue that in a case of overriding public interest, with appropriate safeguards for the subject's privacy, the balance between potential good and potential harm can tilt in favour of coverage.
In that light we present for consideration the case which CNN broadcast in July 2019.
Watch the video on the CNN website and decide whether you agree the powerful illustration of the value of human intervention, combined with obscuring the subject's identity, justifies the decision to broadcast?
[In the Mindset field guide, we mention this example in the context that it unavoidably makes clear the intended method, but does not give other details.]