Careless and simplistic about suicide

JEERS TO several news organizations for another careless coverage on a suicide case.

ABS-CBN News Online first broke the story and named the minor, owing to her role in one of the network’s shows and to her parents’ prominence as actors. It did not identify the cause of death. (“Character actor Nonie Buencamino’s daughter found dead,” July 8)

Other media outlets followed suit and published the victim’s name, age, and pictures. ABS-CBN 2’s TV Patrol aired clips from her last role as a tribute.

All reports said that the teen actress was “found dead” and mentioned that her father had signed a waiver to halt the police investigation, “fully believing” that her death was a suicide.

The Manila Bulletin and Inquirer.net described the method and location of her suicide. The Bulletin also included her complete address. (“Young actor Julia Buencamino allegedly commits suicide,” July 8; “ABS-CBN teen actress found dead,” July 8)

The Center for Media Freedom & Responsibility (CMFR) previously jeered news organizations for violating established guidelines on the media coverage of suicide.

CMFR stresses the sensitivity of reporting suicide cases, as it has widespread emotional and psychological effects both on the audience and for the mourning family. (“Playing the blame game: The media coverage of a minor’s suicide“, March 25, 2013)

According to the World Health Organization (WHO): “Details of the method or the location a suicide victim uses may lead to copycat suicides. A reporter should not risk providing another person considering suicide with the details of how it can be achieved.” (“CMFR Guidelines for Coverage of Suicides”)

Celebrity suicides are especially newsworthy, but they should not be glamorized and seen as effective solutions to problems. But several news organizations continued to make the same mistakes.

Some  included screengrabs of the victim’s artwork from her social media accounts and implied that they might be indicative of her supposed depression. Her family and friends later denied the allegation, saying that she did not show signs of depression.

Inquirer.net deleted the article “Netizens seek answers from Julia Buencamino’s artworks,” but kept the art posts in another article as a background to the social media buzz. (“Celebrities, netizens weigh in on Julia Buencamino’s artworks,” July 8)

On the front page of its July 9 issue, The Manila Times cited a source present at the hospital emergency room claimed “a pediatric doctor” confirming the victim had a “happy family life.” The doctor pointed to an “undiagnosed psychological condition” or the victim’s “environment outside the home” as probable causes of her suicide. The anonymity of both the source and the doctor was not justified, and cast doubts on their credibility to comment on the victim’s death. (“Teen actress found dead,” July 8)

A report by The Philippine Star described the victim’s father’s reaction to news of her death and his subsequent rush to the hospital, and even attempted to get an interview while the actor was still in shock.

All news organizations covering the case later published her parents’ statement asking for privacy and stopped further coverage. InterAksyon.com deleted all related articles from its site.

Only Inquirer.net, ABS-CBN News Online, and Philippine Star listed helpful hotline numbers at the end of their articles. The media, in general, could have taken the opportunity to educate the public on suicide and its common warning signs.

Another report by PhilStar.com (“LOOK: Suicide rates around the world in one map,” July 8) cited a 2014 WHO report on suicides, but the lack of background does not link it to this particular case.

CMFR has covered several reports on suicide cases, and it continues to highlight the media’s responsibility: “The media have a significant role in raising awareness and educating the public about the complexity of suicide, and can encourage the vulnerable and those at risk of suicide to seek help instead of encouraging them to imitate the methods of, and to even use the same sites as, completed suicides.” (“Discouraging suicide: The media’s responsibility“, May 17, 2013)

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