William, Media: Why Silence Fuels Harm After a Suicide

by William Johnson, Embarcadero Media Foundation

It is critical for school district and police leadership to be quickly available and forthcoming with trusted local media when there are apparent suicides in public places. The common and unfortunate practice of saying nothing only fuels the spread of rumors and disinformation from witnesses or bystanders through social media channels, resulting in public confusion, worry and speculation. At a minimum, the gender and approximate age of a victim should be released to the media as soon as possible, and authorities should consider providing "off the record" information to help the media avoid quoting unofficial sources who provide inaccurate information.