Data Sheet 1_Media portrayals of assisted suicide before, during, and after legalization changes: content analysis of the reporting in Austrian newspapers.pdf

IntroductionAssisted suicide (AS) was legalized in Austria in 2022 for adults in specific circumstances, adding Austria to a list of several countries where AS has recently been legalized. The topic has been discussed controversially in the Austrian public, which has been reflected in the media reporting. Information about the content of media reports on AS is currently lacking although it is important from a suicide prevention perspective. The aim of this study was to analyze newspaper media items on AS from Austrian daily newspapers based on media guidelines for the reporting on suicide and to adapt them in the process to the specific topic of AS.
MethodsMedia items from 11 Austrian daily newspapers from the time period 2017 to 2022 were retrieved based on 12 predefined keywords. A total of n = 906 articles were analyzed with regard to 12 characteristics advised against in media guidelines and 7 recommended characteristics. We compared the quality of media items between three time periods: period 1 (before the initiation of legislation change regarding AS in Austria, 01/2017–12/2019), period 2 (around the decision of legalization of AS, 01/2020–12/2021), and period 3 (after the implementation of AS in Austria, 01/2022–12/2022).
ResultsSeveral characteristics advised against in suicide reporting guidelines (e.g., romanticization/glorification of AS) were relatively frequent across all three time periods, while recommended characteristics (e.g., references to mental health services) were less common. Comparison across time showed that stigmatization and romanticization/glorification, though prevalent, declined after AS was implemented, whereas reporting on epidemics and waves of AS peaked immediately before its implementation.
DiscussionThis content analysis revealed distinct patterns in media reporting on AS and showed that reports were less aligned with media guidelines than previous analyses on non-assisted suicide. Some patterns identified across all time periods, particularly tendencies to stigmatize or romanticize AS before the legislation, likely reflect polarized public attitudes, which warrant attention in education efforts. This research highlights the importance of specific aspects of media guidelines during public debate on AS and the need to tailor them to this topic.

引言：辅助自杀（Assisted Suicide，以下简称AS）于2022年在奥地利针对特定场景下的成年人合法化，使奥地利加入近期实现AS合法化的国家行列。该议题在奥地利公众中引发了颇具争议的讨论，这一现象也体现在媒体报道之中。尽管从自杀预防的视角来看，相关媒体报道内容的信息至关重要，但目前此类信息仍较为匮乏。本研究旨在基于自杀报道媒体指南，对奥地利日报中涉及AS的报刊媒体内容展开分析，并针对AS这一特定议题对指南进行适配调整。

方法：本研究基于12个预设关键词，检索了2017年至2022年间奥地利11家日报的媒体内容。最终共纳入906篇报道，针对媒体指南中明确禁止的12项报道特征与推荐采用的7项报道特征进行分析。我们将媒体内容的质量划分为三个时间段进行对比：阶段1（奥地利AS相关立法修订启动前，2017年1月—2019年12月）、阶段2（AS合法化决策前后，2020年1月—2021年12月）、阶段3（奥地利AS正式实施后，2022年1月—2022年12月）。

结果：自杀报道指南中禁止的多项特征（如对AS的浪漫化/美化）在三个阶段中均较为常见，而指南推荐的特征（如提及精神卫生服务）则相对少见。跨阶段对比显示，尽管污名化与浪漫化/美化AS的现象仍较为普遍，但在AS正式实施后有所下降；而将AS描述为流行趋势或浪潮的报道，则在AS实施前达到峰值。

讨论：本次内容分析揭示了AS相关媒体报道的独特模式，结果显示，相较于此前针对非辅助自杀的相关分析，本次报道与媒体指南的契合度更低。在所有阶段中发现的部分模式，尤其是立法前对AS进行污名化或浪漫化的倾向，大概率反映了公众态度的两极分化，这一点在相关教育工作中值得关注。本研究凸显了在AS相关公共辩论中，媒体指南特定条款的重要性，同时也表明有必要针对该议题对指南进行定制化调整。