Social Perception of Suicide in the Spanish Media: A Qualitative Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5294/pacla.2024.27.2.5Keywords:
Qualitative analysis, Media, public opinion, social media, suicidesAbstract
In Spain, the number of deaths by suicide in 2020—the year of the outbreak of COVID-19—has been the highest figure recorded to date, well above the number of fatalities due to traffic accidents, which have accounted for less than half of deaths by suicide. With these data, it would seem reasonable that society was informed about this serious public health problem or, at least, that cases of suicide received more coverage than traffic accidents. But this is not so. The objective of the article is to obtain evidence on how citizens perceive the existing information in the media and social media platforms about suicide. A survey was administered through the Google platform, and a discussion group was prepared using the usual methodology for focus groups. The results have revealed that, in the opinion of the people surveyed or interviewed, the perception about the information on suicide is that the media does not report on it, that when reported, morbidity and sensationalism are habitually abused, and that the media should resort to experts, train journalists, and consider using a precautionary approach in giving this news. Different views on suicide have also been detected in the media by those under 40 years of age and those over this age, with the youngest members of the discussion group being the ones who have most insisted on the need for education for media consumption and to tackle the treatment given to suicide in social media.
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