Suicide Reporting in the Nineteenth Century
Large-Scale Descriptive Content Analysis of Austrian Newspapers
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12604262 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Manina Mestas (0000-0001-8813-0018, Schlumberger (Ireland), corresponding author), Florian Arendt (0000-0003-1107-8682, Twitter (United States)) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 305-320 |
| Publication date | 2022-12-12 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Media History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1368-8804 • E-ISSN: 1469-9729 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13688804.2022.2153656 |
| OpenAlex | W4312136107 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 18 |
During the nineteenth century, suicide rates rose substantially in many countries, including the geographic region of the present state of Austria. Sensational news reporting about suicides may have contributed to this rise by eliciting so-called copycat suicides, a phenomenon termed the ‘Werther effect.’ We conducted a large-scale content analysis of nineteenth-century suicide reporting (N = 14,638) to provide a descriptive account of the quality of suicide reporting back then. We found that much of the sensational reporting of the nineteenth century was characterized by presenting vivid details on the suicide method, specific location, and personal details, such as the deceased’s name, occupation, and exact address. To put these findings into context, we compared them to twenty-first-century suicide reporting (N = 300 articles). We found that the quality of reporting has improved since then, containing less Werther-effect-facilitative elements, however, the reports still fail to adhere to modern-day guidelines of responsible reporting
Archaeology · Context (archaeology · Copycat · Criminology · Medical emergency · Phenomenon · Poison control · Quality (philosophy · State (computer science · Suicide prevention · Historical and Scientific Studies · History · Medicine · Psychedelics and Drug Studies · Psychology · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
Association between suicide reporting in the media and suicide
Role of media reports in completed and prevented suicide
Suicide and the Media
A History of Suicide Reporting in Canadian Newspapers, 1844–1990
Assessing responsible reporting on suicide in the nineteenth century
Celebrities and Suicide
The Influence of Suggestion on Suicide
Is Suicide the Unforgivable Sin? Understanding Suicide, Stigma, and Salvation through Two Christian Perspectives
The Effect of Modernization on Suicide in Finland
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |