REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE LAUNCH OF THE MEDIA GUIDELINES ON REPORTING SUICID
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE LAUNCH OF THE MEDIA GUIDELINES ON REPORTING SUICIDE GRESHAM HOTEL, DUBLIN
Tá mé thar a bheith buíoch díbh as an chuireadh a thug sibh dom teacht anseo ar son foilsiú na treoirlínte seo.
As Patron of the Irish Association of Suicidology and a longtime admirer of the outstanding work of the Samaritans, I was very pleased to accept Dr John Connolly’s invitation to launch these joint Media Guidelines on Reporting Suicide.
There is nothing easy about the subject which is at the centre of today's launch. It is hard to talk about, hard to comprehend and very, very hard to live with. There is nothing comforting in the statistics either. Death by suicide is sadly a growing phenomenon internationally and here in Ireland the story is as grim as anywhere else.
When we hear of the death of a young boy or girl from disease or accident our hearts break in a very special way because of the awful waste, the hopes and dreams which will not be realised, the profound loss which parents and siblings will carry to their graves. How dreadful then to have to acknowledge that suicide is now the most common cause of death among 15-24 year olds in this country. Worse still is the disturbingly high rate of male suicide – both among young men and the over 65s.
Suicide is in every case a tragedy, both for the life that has ended and the family, friends and community left behind. The ‘Why?’ factor imposes a terrible, often insoluble burden. Friends and family are left confounded, never fully comprehending the "why" of it, and knowing that even if they solved the riddle, the finality of death cannot be changed.
Those of us who have been down this strange and difficult road know how complex is the web, how rare the clear cut answer, but we also know now that there are very important contributing factors such as depression, loneliness, recent bereavement, loss of physical or mental health and each of these is a signpost of sorts which may help us chart a different kind of future.
We also know that support mechanisms for people at risk of suicide can and do make an enormous difference. Over the past 30 years, the Samaritans have provided invaluable support 24 hours a day to people in distress, in crisis, at the end of their emotional tether. I warmly applaud the extraordinary spirit of generosity and concern which motivates each of their 2,000 volunteers throughout the country to provide this service day-in, day-out. There can be no doubt that their work has, quite literally, been a lifeline to thousands of people. In more recent years, the support available to those who have suffered the intense trauma and grief of bereavement through the suicide of a loved one, has been enormously boosted by the establishment of the Irish Association of Suicidology. Together, the two organisations have done tremendous work in promoting greater public understanding of the causes and effects of death through suicide.
If we are to reverse the statistics, if we are to get a grip on this preventable phenomenon, we need a society which is educated and well-informed about suicide, a society which takes seriously the role of community in promoting a culture of physical and mental well-being and a society which has a keen insight into the damage which can be caused by the clumsiness of ignorance. Public education is crucial and it falls to the media to be sometimes the conduit, sometimes the source of that education. The way that suicide is portrayed in the media – whether in factual reporting or through television dramas – has a key role to play in the extent and accuracy of that understanding. Sensitive, non-sensational and informative approaches can do a great deal to debunk myths and reduce the danger of so-called copycat attempts.
We are fortunate that reporting of suicide in the Irish media has been intelligent and responsible. We are also fortunate that in dealing with such a complex and distressing phenomenon, journalists and broadcasters are open to and have access to expert advice on ‘best practice’. That is what these Guidelines, produced by the Samaritans and Irish Association of Suicidology, in partnership with the media, provide. They put the knowledge and expertise, the distilled wisdom which these organisations have accumulated over years of experience at the fingertips of journalists. That partnership between the media and those whose area of professional expertise is suicide will greatly assist the provision of balanced and sensitive coverage.
I warmly congratulate Dr John Connolly, Paul O’Hare and all those involved in both the Samaritans and the Irish Association of Suidicology for their achievement in publishing these Guidelines. I wish both organisations every success in all aspects of your future work. I want to thank the members of the media whose professionalism and social conscience we rely on so heavily. I look forward to a time when working in partnership the story of suicide in Ireland will be very different from the bleak picture which greets us at the start of an otherwise hope-filled twenty first century.