UNICEF: Kazakhstan’s mass media make it worse reporting on suicide cases

ASTANA. May 14. KAZINFORM - UNICEF believes that journalists make things worse by informing the public about cases of suicide. June Kukita, the representative of the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in the Republic of Kazakhstan, has expressed his point of view today at a briefing in the frame of "Intersectoral collaboration on prevention of suicides at the National level" International Conference.

"As the presentation shows, the cases of suicides have increased in Kazakhstan. From the world experience we know that the role of media is of high importance. First of all media need to understand by what reason suicides happen and what problems they are associated them. Through the example of other countries media can make the situation worse via broadcasting. Therefore mass media should carefully accept a suicide and not to make sensational and big deal event from that. In particular, it is not good to show a scene of suicide, it is better to tell the audience about the causes", said the Head of UNICEF.

Today UNICEF has also provided Kazakh journalists with recommendations covering suicide topic which, in particular, note that media "should avoid excessive replication of the news, posting it on the front page, reports of suicide in a title, drawing of attention to the death of celebrities" etc. Instead the mass media should specify suicide alternative, informing about how to communicate with a person with suicidal risk and encourage him/her to take crisis care.

Moreover, the accompanying text states that "at 9 months after the release of the recommendations (in Switzerland) front pages reports on suicides fell from 20 to 4%, the part of sensational headlines - from 62 to 25%, while the number of such stories triplicated".