Reporting of Suicide in New Zealand Media: Content and Case Study Analysis

The research design of this project was shaped by the funders who requested the replication of the Media Monitoring Project done by Pirkis et al (2001). This report provides a baseline descriptive account of the extent & nature of reporting of suicide by the New Zealand news media. It also assesses the alignment of news media items with the best practice standards for reporting set out in Ministry of Health guidelines (1999) & by the Coroners Act (2006). The qualitative analysis provides an in-depth examination of a selection of news media stories thematically arranged under 5 different case studies. Recommendations are made for future research.