For the Media

Suicide can be prevented, and everyone has a role to play, including the media.

Suicide can be prevented, and everyone has a role to play, including the media. Media can be a strong ally in suicide prevention, but it can also hinder suicide prevention efforts and do more harm depending on the way that suicides are reported on or described.

By following media guidelines for safe reporting, journalists, newspapers, and news networks, can encourage hope and help-seeking behaviour. In Canada, the main guideline for journalists is Mindset.

Mindset is Canada’s only journalist-to-journalist guide on mental health reporting, and includes information on reporting on suicide. The website provides access to the pdf guide, as well as other resources to support journalists.

If you would like more information, please contact us.

General Tips

To encourage hope and help-seeking behaviour amongst readers, it is important to:

Present help-seeking options as alternatives to suicide, such as: calling a crisis or help-line, talking to a trusted friend or family members, or seeking professional counselling.
Present stories of hope, such as an individual who struggled with suicidal thoughts or behaviours, but found help and are able to cope and live a healthy life.
Provide information on community resources for those who are struggling or who might know someone struggling
Provide information about the warning signs for suicide.

Additional Resources

Language Matters: Safe Communication for Suicide Prevention – Canada.ca

This booklet was created by the Public Health Agency of Canada in partnership with Centre for Suicide Prevention and l’Association québécoise de prévention du suicide and published in 2018.

Position Papers & Statements – Canadian Psychiatric Association – Association des psychiatres du Canada (cpa-apc.org)

The Canadian Psychiatric Association released an updated to their media guidelines for reporting on suicide in 2017. This policy paper can be found and downloaded through the link above.

Preventing suicide: a resource for media professionals, update 2023 (who.int)

The World Health Organization has released an updated suicide prevention guide for media professionals. Updates included in this resource focus on proactive reporting on stories of survival,