Experiences reporting on mental illness and suicide: Findings from interviews with Australian news professionals

Abstract

Improvements in the quality of news portrayals of mental illness and suicide can be attributed to the introduction of media guidelines, particularly the Mindframe guidelines in Australia. However, based on reports about problematic media content, there remains scope for improvement. This study sought to further investigate the experiences of Australian news media professionals in reporting on mental illness and suicide, including their experiences of using the Mindframe guidelines and developing news stories about people with lived experience. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 media professionals, including junior reporters, senior reporters, and news editors. Media professionals had an average of 10.1 years’ (SD = 9.4) experience and represented a range of work experiences. Three key themes were generated from participant responses about their experiences reporting on mental illness and suicide: 1. Awareness of responsible reporting guidelines and how to proactively increase this; 2. Newsroom processes, values and subjectivity in applying guidelines; and 3. The importance and challenge in sharing lived experience stories, and improving support for covering these stories. Further resources and education are needed across newsrooms and universities to increase awareness and use of the Mindframe guidelines, and ultimately improve the quality of Australian media portrayals of mental illness and suicide. Editors and managers should be targeted with this training to best influence organisational change. Media professionals require additional preparation and support to develop lived experience stories, particularly in working with people bereaved by suicide to ensure this is a safe engagement for both parties.