how to tackle any problem: shut down the internet

[waider]

Apparently there's been a bunch of suicides in Bridgend, Wales. It's hard to tell if it's abnormal without studying statistics on the subject, but the current google results tell me 17 suicides "since the start of last year" (let's pick an arbitrary starting point to compress our data, right?) There seems to be some debate over whether the 17 suicides are actually linked, or whether it's just the media playing join-the-dots on a scatter plot, but tonight's Faux News (actually Sky, but not materially different in attitude or typical content) seemed to be running a loop about how The Intarwebs are to blame, specifically that there are sites telling people how to commit suicide.

Because let's face it, today's youth are so feckless that if you don't tell them how to off themselves, they'll just get distracted and go play football instead.

Now, if these are copycat suicides (as is being suggested by some), how is it that nobody's talking about the blanket TV coverage? While I was doing my 25 minutes on the stairmaster tonight, FauxSky News ran a video clip of a guy showing you how to make a noose at least 4 times, all the while (as best I could tell with no sound) running various voiceovers from "concerned people" about the effect such videos would have on "the youth".

This is the sort of thing that reminds me, in case I've forgotten, why it is I don't watch Sky News any more.

Comments

[mopti.livejournal.com]

I wonder if Sky News is following the NUJ guidelines on the reporting of suicide, which are intended to avoid attracting attention to suicide in a way that might prompt vulnerable people to attempt it.

[waider.livejournal.com]

Sky? Following guidelines? Are you kidding?