Though
reports on suicide in media cause suicide clusters, I believe suicide as a
general rule should still be reported in newspapers. Suicide clusters first
reared their ugly head after the publication of a novel called “The Sorrows of a young Werther... in which the
hero committed suicide” The author Goethe replied to
the devastating event suggesting that those who read his book copied the protagonist’s
death, and this effected not only a small group but spread to the majority.”In the American Sociological Review (1974) pp. 345 there is found
a table for the “Influence of Suggestion On Suicides”, which shows the “[a]verage rise in U.S suicides after each story.”By observing the fact that
suicide numbers sky rocketed at “4e”( 4 represents the “[n]umber of [d]ays [ the suicide story was] on [p]age 1 of the News) to a height of “197.5”. One can conclude that if
the “[n]umber of [d]ays…”heighten, so will the
suicides. Another example of suicide clusters is when “Marilyn Monroe died….[in] the months afterward,there was extensive news
coverage, widespread sorrow and a spate of suicides.” “'Suicide contagion is
real...'” according
to “Madelyn Gould… [a] professor of Epidemiology in Psychiatry
at Columbia University, who has studied suicide contagion extensively.” I used these events to
show that suicide contagion is an issue, and to stress that suicide should be
presented with careful strategy in newspapers, even if detail could give the
newspaper higher ratings. Suicide reports in newspapers are dangerous; however
even though suicide contagion is an issue I will not neglect some instances in
which reporting suicide have impacted society for the better. Suicide reports
have positively affected society by bringing social awareness of mental
illnesses, by increasing social awareness of bullying, and by providing
headlines for journalists for the betterment of the newspaper industries. These
instances are the reason to why I believe that suicide should be still reported
in newspapers, despite the existence of suicide clusters.
Outline
· Intr/Thesis/ argument
· (Point #1) Mental awareness stories. (ex Ottawa youth suicides, and
Robin Williams suicide)
· (Opposing argument) Suicide prevention methods ignored ( Ex.
Robin Williams, and Amanda Todd)
· (Solution) Suicide prevention methods.
· (#Point 3) Newspaper headlines helping the newspaper industry. (Ex.
Journalist’s responses, and Celebrity suicide’s boost ratings)
· (Conclusion) Restate Thesis-Suicide
contagion-Prevention Methods- Restate Points- Concluding Statement.
Sources:
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/robin-williams-suicide-media-vultures-risk-triggering-copycat-deaths-1460947
