Coverage of suicide deaths in newspapers and perceptions of suicide loss survivors on reporting: Insights from a community survey in India

Limited research explores newspaper coverage of suicide deaths, and its impact on suicide loss survivors. An exploratory inquiry study examined newspaper coverage of suicide deaths and how families perceived this reporting of suicide deaths within their family in India. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with suicide loss survivors, an adult member most knowledgeable about the suicide, for 155 suicide deaths in three Indian states - Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. Newspaper coverage by socio-demography of the deceased, and support and opposition by the survivors for the newspaper reporting and their reasons for it are reported. Among all suicide deaths, 39.4% (95% CI: 31.9-47.3%) were reported in newspaper for both sexes combined, 37.8% for males and 43.2% for females, which varied by socio-demography of the deceased. Deaths registered with the police were 4.5 times more likely to be reported. For the 61 cases reported in newspaper, 49.2% survivors opposed the coverage, 31.1% supported it, and 19.7% declined to respond. The support for reporting of male suicide deaths was significantly associated with increasing levels of education of the survivor. No specific pattern was seen for female suicide deaths for supporting or opposing the reporting. Support was mainly to raise awareness about suicide (73.4%), including general awareness about suicide, implications of death, and about farmers' suicides. Majority of the survivors opposing the coverage did not provide a specific reason for it. Implications of reading about the suicide death in newspaper varied by the socio-demography of the deceased and of the survivors, highlighting the complexity of suicide bereavement and that it needs to be understood further within the local socio-cultural context. These insights from families can inform refinements to existing media codes, ensuring that they address the needs of survivors, promote greater sensitivity in coverage, and equip reporters with practical approaches to minimize harm.