MEDIA COVERAGE OF SUICIDE REPORTING IN TURKEY: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF SUICIDE NEWS ON INTERNET

Introduction: It has been reported that mass media publications about suicide can affect the suicidal tendency. There have been several guidelines on the use of sensitive and informative language in suicide news. The aim of this study is to investigate the way the presentation of the suicide news published on the internet in Turkey, according to the guide of World Health Organisation (WHO). Method: Suicides that published in Turkey between the years 2016-2017 searched via the Internet, 115 news reached. The individuals on the news were evaluated in terms of age, gender, suicide method. The headings and contents of the news were evaluated separately by the researchers in terms of compliance with the WHO guidelines and common result was obtained by cross-checking. Results: 30.7% (n = 35) of the individuals on the news were women and 69.2% (n = 79) were male. The suicide method were defined in 78.2% (n = 90), and the placeof suicide defined in 70.4% (n = 81) of the news. The word “suicide” was used in %93,9(n=108) of the news. Suicide was based on a single cause, normalized or sensationalized in %48,7(n=56) of the news. In 99.1% (n = 114) of the news, no informative statement about suicide was found. Conclusion: The majority of suicide news evaluated were found to be prepared without taking into account the recommendations of the WHO. Considering that the publications affect the suicidal tendency, the implementation of the recommendations given in the present guidelines or the creation of a guide for the presentation of suicides in Turkey appear to be necessary