3 ms·

I don't buy that. This is a "slice of life" (slice of death?) piece telling a unglamorous but probably quite demographically representative about an older Ameri

by MFLoon 8y ago

I don't buy that. This is a "slice of life" (slice of death?) piece telling a unglamorous but probably quite demographically representative about an older American getting pushed to their limit by a confluence of social factors. It's not a sensationalizing piece about someone jumping in public or some other sort of "blaze of glory" style suicide. Nor is it a headline - its in the NY region section, which people outside the region don't receive in print and probably don't click into online.

DanBC 8y ago
> I don't buy that. We have a variety of research. We have testimony from survivors who tells us that they were influenced by reports that include details of method, location, speculated reasons why the person killed themself, or details of the affect on friends and relatives. We can see in the months and years after a particular story is released how that influences deaths by suicide. Asphyixiation with helium became a lot more common in the UK after Michael Portillo made a tv programme about painless ways of capital punishment. Death by overdosing increases after tv shows depict a character dying by that method. > It's not a sensationalizing piece It doesn't have to be.
- MFLoon 8y ago
  Even given the existence of research establishing statistically significant correlation, I don't buy that that means there should just be a blanket gag on writing about suicide in the news. Just because there's some second order effect of disseminating some information doesn't mean we ought to withhold that information. Maybe there are numerous positive second order effects as well, which just aren't as easily measured. Just because some people have a bad reaction to some information doesn't justify taking away everyone else's freedom to share or access said information.

3 ms·

I don't buy that. This is a "slice of life" (slice of death?) piece telling a unglamorous but probably quite demographically representative about an older Ameri

by MFLoon 8y ago

DanBC 8y ago
> I don't buy that. We have a variety of research. We have testimony from survivors who tells us that they were influenced by reports that include details of method, location, speculated reasons why the person killed themself, or details of the affect on friends and relatives. We can see in the months and years after a particular story is released how that influences deaths by suicide. Asphyixiation with helium became a lot more common in the UK after Michael Portillo made a tv programme about painless ways of capital punishment. Death by overdosing increases after tv shows depict a character dying by that method. > It's not a sensationalizing piece It doesn't have to be.
- MFLoon 8y ago
  Even given the existence of research establishing statistically significant correlation, I don't buy that that means there should just be a blanket gag on writing about suicide in the news. Just because there's some second order effect of disseminating some information doesn't mean we ought to withhold that information. Maybe there are numerous positive second order effects as well, which just aren't as easily measured. Just because some people have a bad reaction to some information doesn't justify taking away everyone else's freedom to share or access said information.