Suicide portrayal in the Canadian media: examining newspaper coverage of the popular Netflix series '13 Reasons Why'

BMC Public Health
Victoria Carmichael, Rob Whitley

Abstract

Evidence suggests that the media can influence societal attitudes and beliefs to various social issues. This influence is especially strong for mental health issues, particularly suicide. As such, the aim of this study is to systematically examine Canadian newspaper coverage of the popular fictional Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, wherein the lead character dies by suicide in the final episode. Articles mentioning the series were systematically collected from best-selling Canadian newspapers in the three-month period following series release (April-June 2017). Articles were coded for adherence to key best practice recommendations on how to sensitively report suicide. Frequency counts and proportions were produced. An inductive qualitative thematic analysis was then undertaken to identify common themes within the articles. A total of 71 articles met study inclusion criteria. The majority of articles did not mention the suicide method (88.7%) and did not use stigmatizing language such as 'commit suicide' (84.5%). Almost half of the articles linked suicide to wider social issues (43.7%) or quoted a mental health professional (45.1%). 25% included information telling others considering suicide where to get help. Our qualitative anal...Continue Reading

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Citations

Sep 18, 2020·Journal of Public Health·Vikas MenonS M Yasir Arafat
Jun 12, 2019·Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. Revue Canadienne De Psychiatrie·Rob WhitleyKatherine M Keyes
Aug 23, 2019·Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. Revue Canadienne De Psychiatrie·Mark SinyorThomas Niederkrotenthaler
Mar 20, 2021·The International Journal of Social Psychiatry·S M Yasir ArafatSujita Kumar Kar
Apr 23, 2021·Ciência & saúde coletiva·Renata da Silva FerreiraKelly Graziani Giacchero Vedana

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