“Much of the coverage of Caroline Flack’s death has merely distanced us from the incredibly difficult reality. But we can do better.”
Suzanne Moore, writing in The Guardian, says:
“This is not a piece about Caroline Flack. We do not need to see her picture. We do not know the complicated reasons behind her death. We can all observe various parties blaming each other but none of them seem very interested in preventing further tragedies. If they were, they might ask people who know about suicide, and even follow their guidelines.
The Samaritans warns of the dangers of ‘imitational suicidal behaviour’ and asks that the methods by which people kill themselves are not discussed. ‘Avoid placement of stories on the front page with large headlines,’ it adds, ‘or making this the lead bulletin, as this can sensationalise the story.’ While you’re at it: ‘Avoid speculation of causes or simplistic explanations.’
But why take any notice of experts? What do therapists know? Suicide is the clickiest of baits …”
You can read more from here.
