Compliance with the WHO guidelines on suicide reporting. Analysis of the Spanish digital press (2010-2017)

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n32a3

Keywords:

WHO, suicide, digital press, Mynewsonline

Abstract

This research analyses compliance with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on the reporting of suicides as published in the Spanish digital press over the period between 2010 and 2017. The Mynewsonline newspaper library has been used for this. A content analysis has been carried out on a sample created from all the news reports on suicides (n = 183) published in the six main Spanish digital media outlets (elpais.com, elmundo.es, abc.es, lavanguardia. com, lconfidencial.com and20minutos.es). Among other issues, the use of photographs and the young and / or popular character of the victims have also been studied. The results indicate that few news items about suicides are published and that only 32.84% of those
published refer to events that occurred in Spain. A lack of compliance with the ethical recommendations of the WHO is also evident.

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Author Biographies

  • Francisco Javier Olivar de Julián, International University of La Rioja, Spain

    PHd  in Communication (Knowledge Societyand Action inthe fields of Education, Communication, Rights & New Technologies),UNIR Scholarship for Academic Excellence 2017. Master’s degree in Health & Safety at Work. Master’s in Integrated Health & Safety at Work Systems. Master’s in Integrated Management Systems for Health & Safety at Work, Quality, the Environment & Corporate Social Responsibility. Degree in Business Administration. Higher Diploma in Health & Safety at Work RD 39/1997. Diploma in Business Sciences. Member of the TRES-i research team: Fluid working & emerging risksin the information society. Professor of the Master’s Degree in Health & Safety at Workand of the Master’s Degree in Integrated Management Systems for Health & Safety at Work.

  • Jesús Díaz-Campo, International University of La Rioja, Spain

    Graduate & Doctorate in Journalism from Complutense University of Madrid (UCM). Currently
    Director of Research and Associate Professor in the Internacional University of La Rioja (UNIR). Accredited by the ANECA as Associate Professor. One positively evaluated research period by the National Commission for the Evaluation of Research Activity (CNEAI). He has published some 40 papers in the journals JCR and SCOPUS. Head of the research team “Digital Society & Communication” (COYSODI). Lead researcher on the News Sharing: “news consumption on social media” project. Analysis of factors in the selection and diffusion of media content (financed in the call of the R+D project 2017 Retos).

  • Francisco Segado-Boj, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain

    Assistant Professor at Complutense University of Madrid as well as holder of a PhD in
    Communication from the same institution. Codirector of the research team “History& Structure of Communication & Entertainment”, Department of Journalism & Global Communication, Faculty of Information Sciences of the Complutense University of Madrid.

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Published

14-06-2021

Issue

Section

Miscellaneous of Research articles and essays

How to Cite

Olivar de Julián, F. J., Díaz-Campo, J., & Segado-Boj, F. (2021). Compliance with the WHO guidelines on suicide reporting. Analysis of the Spanish digital press (2010-2017). Doxa Comunicación. Interdisciplinary Journal of Communication Studies and Social Sciences, 32, 57-74. https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n32a3
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