Abstract

This chapter backgrounds and explains the recent development of revised recommendations for news reporting about suicide, taking account of a trend towards deeper reporting, focused on social, policy, and systemic issues rather than reporting individual deaths. The publishers of Canada’s widely accepted journalist-to-journalist guide, Mindset: Reporting on Mental Health, and its French counterpart, place suicide contagion theory—which has dominated most guidance for decades—into broader context, examining its appropriateness to in-depth work advancing the public interest. Acknowledging legitimate concerns about contagion, the revised recommendations provide a basis on which journalists can evaluate both generally available guidance and specific advice sought from suicide prevention professionals in the light of a particular project, weighing together its likely benefits and its potential for harm. The chapter also tracks concerted efforts to gain the understanding and acceptance of the Canadian suicide prevention community for this work.