A Comparative Study of Suicide News Reporting in Chinese and British Media from an Ethical Perspective: A Case Study of The Guardian and The Paper

Ding Zhang

doi:10.6918/IJOSSER.202509_8(9).0010

Authors

Ding Zhang

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6918/IJOSSER.202509_8(9).0010

Keywords:

Ethical norms, suicide reporting, content, language, culture.

Abstract

Based on the ethical guidelines outlined in the World Health Organisation's ‘Suicide Prevention: Guidelines for Media Professionals,’ this study selected 162 suicide-related news reports published by The Guardian in the United Kingdom and The Paper in China between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024 as samples. Quantitative content analysis and discourse analysis methods were employed to conduct a cross-cultural comparative analysis. The findings reveal multi-dimensional ethical practice differences between the two media outlets in their suicide reporting practices: In terms of content structure, The Guardian tends toward diverse narratives, focusing on the social issues underlying suicide and demonstrating a broader international perspective; The Paper, however, places greater emphasis on local events and the events themselves, with a relatively fragmented reporting structure. In terms of linguistic features, both media outlets' headlines exhibit strong sensationalism, but The Guardian's main text contains fewer traumatic narratives and often includes mental health support information; The Paper's reports feature detailed traumatic narratives but lack sufficient preventive messaging. Additionally, the two media outlets differ in their suicide attribution models and reporting completeness. These differences reflect varying interpretations and implementations of ethical norms across cultural contexts, highlighting the current ethical dilemmas and state of responsibility fulfilment in suicide reporting.

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