Care needed in celebrity tributes
The death of a celebrity by suicide almost always initiates an overwhelming torrent of shared grief among devoted fans.
We saw this after the deaths of actor Robin Williams, musician Chris Cornell and now with United States rock band Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington, who died on Thursday in a suspected suicide.
Linkin Park and Chester Bennington are trending on Twitter, Spotify recommends we listen to a Linkin Park playlist and Facebook feeds are filled with YouTube clips of Bennington’s vein-popping rocker face.
Commentators are praising the singer as the voice of an anguished teen generation while applauding the power of his signature raspy vocals. Like others before him, his life has now been memorialised in a collective reaction of heartbreak at the loss of exceptional talent.
Celebrities don’t always represent reality but care must be taken when discussing an issue that is a part of real life for many Kiwis.
New Zealand has the highest rate of teen suicide in the developed world, according to an OECD report, and reporting on the issue is largely centred on youth.
But it should be noted men similar in age to Bennington, at 41, are at a disproportionately high risk of suicide as well.
The relationships between reporting on celebrity suicides and increases in suicide risk and copycat behaviour are well documented.
Talking about suicide is not necessarily harmful, but the way we talk about it can be.
The Mental Health Foundation sent an advisory to media yesterday on how to report on Bennington’s suspected suicide.
They strongly cautioned against romanticising the tragic friendship of Bennington and Cornell – connections that had already been made by some media in an attempt to find an emotive story angle.
The advisory encouraged media to consider the impact on vulnerable people who relate to his age, music or struggles, and to avoid profiling his life or achievements in a way people could identify with.
The feelings of grief for someone we don’t know personally are still real, they warned. But this advice doesn’t just apply to media outlets.
The prominence of social media in most New Zealanders’ lives means talking responsibly about celebrity suicide becomes everyone’s responsibility.
Well-meaning tributes to a man who has made a musical career out of expressing torment and distress will be flowing across our social media feeds, and we should all be considering those reading from their own places of grief and suffering.