title: To what extent does the reporting behavior of the media regarding a celebrity suicide influence subsequent suicides in South Korea?
abstract: This study investigated the nature of media coverage of a national entertainer's suicide and its impact on subsequent suicides. After the celebrity suicide, the number of suicide-related articles reported surged around 80 times in the week after the suicide compared with the week prior. Many articles (37.1%) violated several critical items on the World Health Organization suicide reporting guidelines, like containing a detailed suicide method. Most gender and age subgroups were at significantly higher risk of suicide during the 4 weeks after the celebrity suicide. Results imply that massive and noncompliant media coverage of a celebrity suicide can cause a large-scale copycat effect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: JeSuk
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Weon-Young
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jang-Sun
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Steven John
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Stack
mesh_terms: D005197:Famous Persons; D006801:Humans; D007100:Imitative Behavior; D008402:Mass Media; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012306:Risk; D013405:Suicide