New suicide reporting restrictions recommended
April 11, 2014
New Zealand
Following an eight-month review of New Zealand’s media regulations, the country’s Law Commission has issued recommendations for new rules on the reporting of suicide deaths in the media. While the recommendations cover several areas, one change in particular is drawing attention. Under current law, reporters are not allowed to announce a death as a “suspected suicide” until a coroner has ruled on the case, a process which often takes several weeks. The proposed new rules would permit the use of this term “when facts support that,” but would not allow reporters to publish details of the death. With this restriction, the Commission hopes to minimize the risk that one suicide can trigger others. The Chief Coroner of the country, Neil MacLean, said that new legislation based on the recommendations would be an improvement, clarifying what is expected of media professionals and for the first time explicitly applying the same standards to both conventional and social media producers. Leaders of some suicide prevention organizations have voiced approval as well. Jo Denvir, chief executive of Lifeline New Zealand, said that the proposed change “…brings suicide into the conversation in a very subtle way which, for many, can mean a more open dialogue between friends and family members.” The government will consider the recommendations and respond by September 2014.