Kumasi: Professor Emmanuel Nii-Boye Quarshie, the President of the Association for Suicide Prevention Ghana (GASP), has urged media practitioners to ensure responsible and ethical reporting on matters of suicide to help in preventing it. He emphasized the crucial role of the media in suicide prevention, highlighting the need for journalists to adhere to the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended guidelines on suicide reporting.
According to Ghana News Agency, the call was made during a workshop organized by GASP in collaboration with the WHO Ghana Office and the University of Ghana Department of Psychology. The event, held in Kumasi, aimed to enhance journalists' capacities for responsible reporting on suicide and related issues. Participants from the Western, Western North, Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo regions were part of the workshop, which was part of the WHO's LIVE LIFE for Suicide Prevention in Ghana - Responsible Media Reporting of Suicide Project.
The workshop focused on deepening journalists' understanding of the Ghana Guidelines for Media Reporting of Suicide and the Ghana Suicide Reporting Scorecard for Appropriate Media Reporting of Self-harm and Suicide. Prof. Quarshie pointed out that news stories related to suicide often fail to meet the recommended standards, hence the need for such capacity-building initiatives.
He urged journalists to avoid sensational headlines when reporting suicide cases and to handle affected individuals, families, and loved ones with care. Dr. Johnny Andoh-Arthur, Secretary to the GASP, also emphasized that media reports should contribute to preventing suicide rather than inadvertently encouraging it among vulnerable individuals. He noted that the media's influence on public perception is significant and that irresponsible reporting could lead vulnerable individuals to imitate the methods and details of reported cases.