FOR JOURNALISTS & COMMUNICATORS
Responsible Reporting on Suicide: Do's and Don'ts for Media Professionals
Suicide can be prevented, and everyone has a role to play — including the media.
The way suicide is reported matters. Media can be a powerful ally in prevention, but certain approaches to reporting can unintentionally cause harm.
By following safe reporting guidelines, journalists, newspapers, and news networks can help promote hope, reduce stigma, and encourage people to seek support.
To learn more about safe reporting practices, please contact us at info@spcch.org
Safe messaging guidelines
Refer to crisis resources
Include 9-8-8 prominently so readers who are struggling can find help.
Use person-first language
"Died by suicide"—not "committed suicide," which implies criminality.
Discuss warning signs & help-seeking
Frame stories around prevention and community support, not just tragedy.
Describe the method
Detailed descriptions of methods can trigger copycat behaviour. Never include specific details.
Sensationalize or glamorize
Avoid dramatic headlines, graphic images, or framing suicide as a solution.
Oversimplify causes
Suicide is complex. Avoid attributing it to a single event.
Media & press inquiries
For interview requests, comment on suicide-related news stories, or questions about SPCC Hamilton’s programs, please contact our communications team.
Communications contact
info@spcch.org
Frequently asked by media
What terminology should I use when reporting on suicide?
Can I quote or interview someone with lived experience?
What are the risks of irresponsible reporting?
Resources
- Mindset — Canada’s only journalist-to-journalist guide on mental health reporting, includes information on reporting on suicide.
- Language Matters: Safe Communication for Suicide Prevention — Created by the Public Health Agency of Canada in partnership with Centre for Suicide Prevention and l’Association québécoise de prévention du suicide, 2018.
- Guidance on Trigger Warnings for Suicide and Emotionally Charged Content — International Association of Suicide Prevention, April 2026.
- Preventing suicide: a resource for media professionals, update 2023 — The World Health Organization updated guide for media professionals; updates focus on proactive reporting on stories of survival.
- Media Guidelines on Reporting on Suicide — Canadian Psychiatric Association, 2017.
- Language Matters in Preventing Suicide — The Conversation. Authors: Karin Neufeld, Chair, Dept. of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University; and Sidney Stacey, Assistant Professor (PT), McMaster University & Chair, SPCC Hamilton. April 21, 2024.
