dc.description.abstract | During the month of April 2022, several newspapers published several articles on suicide, which contained a number of media ethics violations.
Mawbima and Divaina reported on a death by suicide due to economic hardship without mentioning helplines, which is a violation of media ethics on reporting suicides.
Death of a national athlete: Divaina, Mawbima, Aruna, Dinamina, Daily News, The Morning, Lankadeepa, Daily Mirror, Ada, The Island, Swarnavahini, Derana, ITN and Hiru did not publish helplines when covering the story. Divaina, Mawbima, Aruna, Dinamina, Daily News, Swarnavahini, Derana, ITN and Hiru featured the story prominently. Giving prominence to suicide news is discouraged in media ethics as it could trigger more suicides.
Divaina and Swarnavahini mentioned the method of suicide, while Swarnavahini, Mawbima and Aruna also published suicide notes, which is in violation of media ethics guidelines. | en_US |