Media reporting and suicide: a time-series study of suicide from Clifton Suspension Bridge, UK, 1974–2007

Abstract

Media reports of suicide may provoke further 'copy-cat' suicides. Trends in reporting quality and impact of reporting on suicides from a particular 'hot-spot' have not been investigated previously. Inquest files and death certificates were used to identify suicides from Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol, UK, 1974-2007. Copies of local newspaper and television reports within 3 days of death or inquest were obtained. Parametric survival models were used to examine the impact of media reports on subsequent suicides. Over 34 years, there were 206 suicides and 427 media reports of suicide from the bridge. The number of reports per suicide has declined markedly from 2.8 per suicide in the 1970s to 0.7 per suicide in the 2000s (P<0.001). While some aspects of reporting improved, others deteriorated or remained poorly reported. There has been an increase in sensational reporting (use of images was 5% in the 1970s and 16% in the 2000s) and in information about the suicide method. There was no evidence that media reports provoked further suicides. Media reporting of suicide from Clifton Suspension Bridge declined over the study period; however, most aspects of the quality of reporting remained poor. There was no evidence of media reports provoking further suicides.