Content analysis of reports of student suicide deaths in South African print medium newspapers

The aim was to assess the quality of newspaper reporting of university student suicides in South Africa, using the World Health Organisation guidelines. Suicide among university students is a growing public health problem. The media has an important role to play in preventing student suicides by adhering to international best practice guidelines on ethical reporting of suicides.

This study conducted a content analysis of print medium newspaper articles in the 13 most widely read English language South African newspapers from the period of January 2017 to January 2020.

The initial search yielded a total of 28 news reports, of which 19 met this study’s inclusion criteria and were analysed using content analysis. The quality of reporting showed both potentially harmful and helpful characteristics. Poor adherence to international reporting guidelines were found in the description of method and location of suicide, sensational headlines, publishing photos of the deceased, linking suicide to criminality, simplistic narration of the life events leading to the suicide and use of sensational and potentially triggering language. No reports adhered to all reporting guidelines. Findings suggests that there are widespread potentially unhelpful practices in the reporting of student suicides and a need for suicide prevention experts to work with journalists to promote critical reflexivity and ethical reasoning when writing about student suicides.

This study only included news reports published in English in the most widely read newspapers.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of its kind to systematically examine media reporting on suicide in South Africa.