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An examination of suicide coverage by the New Era Newspaper and the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (January 2023 – February 2024)
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2025.
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| Format: | Thesis |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867614069038514176 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Kalola, Rauna Linekela |
| author2 | Jordaan, Marenet |
| author_browse | Jordaan, Marenet Kalola, Rauna Linekela |
| author_facet | Jordaan, Marenet Kalola, Rauna Linekela |
| author_sort | Kalola, Rauna Linekela |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132566 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:46:10.315Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132566 An examination of suicide coverage by the New Era Newspaper and the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (January 2023 – February 2024) Kalola, Rauna Linekela Jordaan, Marenet Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Journalism. Suicide -- Press coverage -- Namibia Suicide in mass media -- Namibia Journalistic ethics -- Namibia Television broadcasting of news -- Namibia Namibian newspapers Broadcast journalism -- Namibia Mass media -- Social aspects -- Namibia Namibian Broadcasting Corporation UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. Kalola, R. L. 2025. An Examination of Suicide Coverage by the New Era Newspaper and the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (January 2023 – February 2024). Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/ce73c6a9-ac11-4095-916b-f38837374da3 ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Suicide is a critical public health issue. How the media portray suicide can significantly shape public perceptions and responses to it. In Namibia, as in other countries, the way suicide is framed in the media may influence societal understanding, thus potentially affecting both suicide prevention efforts and the well-being of vulnerable individuals. This research addressed an important gap by assessing whether the media coverage of suicide adheres to ethical reporting standards that could either mitigate or exacerbate the risk of suicide contagion. Exploring how the media portray suicide is crucial for fostering responsible journalism that contributes to public awareness and prevention efforts. This study explored how two Namibian media outlets - New Era newspaper and the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) - framed suicide news between January 2023 and February 2024. It focused on the language used, the inclusion of graphic details, and the dominant narratives in suicide reporting, as well as analysing whether these media outlets adhere to the ethics of care. The research aimed to uncover whether the portrayal of suicide news either supports or hinders public understanding by examining 31 suicide-related news stories for patterns in framing. This study utilised qualitative frame analysis, grounded in framing theory and an ethics of care as its theoretical foundation. Entman’s four-element model of framing - defining problems, diagnosing causes, making moral judgments, and suggesting remedies - was applied to assess how media reports framed the issue of suicide. The ethics of care was incorporated to evaluate the sensitivity of the media toward those affected by suicide and to emphasise the importance of a compassionate and human-centric approach in journalism. This study found that both New Era and NBC often sensationalised suicide in their reporting, focusing on dramatic elements rather than offering comprehensive and nuanced narratives. While some articles encouraged seeking counselling, much of the coverage simplified the causes of suicide, predominantly attributing it to singular issues like relationships or financial troubles. This framing arguably risks normalising suicide for vulnerable individuals. Furthermore, graphic details in many reports could contribute to the so-called ‘suicide contagion effect’. However, this study also identified instances of responsible reporting that adhered to ethical guidelines, though these were limited. The findings call for greater integration of the ethics of care in media practices to foster a more supportive public discourse around suicide, with recommendations for future research on broader media landscapes in Namibia and their effects on at-risk populations. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaar nie. Masters 2025-06-11T08:46:12Z 2025-06-11T08:46:12Z 2025-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132566 Stellenbosch University 119 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Suicide -- Press coverage -- Namibia Suicide in mass media -- Namibia Journalistic ethics -- Namibia Television broadcasting of news -- Namibia Namibian newspapers Broadcast journalism -- Namibia Mass media -- Social aspects -- Namibia Namibian Broadcasting Corporation UCTD Kalola, Rauna Linekela An examination of suicide coverage by the New Era Newspaper and the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (January 2023 – February 2024) |
| title | An examination of suicide coverage by the New Era Newspaper and the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (January 2023 – February 2024) |
| title_full | An examination of suicide coverage by the New Era Newspaper and the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (January 2023 – February 2024) |
| title_fullStr | An examination of suicide coverage by the New Era Newspaper and the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (January 2023 – February 2024) |
| title_full_unstemmed | An examination of suicide coverage by the New Era Newspaper and the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (January 2023 – February 2024) |
| title_short | An examination of suicide coverage by the New Era Newspaper and the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (January 2023 – February 2024) |
| title_sort | examination of suicide coverage by the new era newspaper and the namibian broadcasting corporation january 2023 february 2024 |
| topic | Suicide -- Press coverage -- Namibia Suicide in mass media -- Namibia Journalistic ethics -- Namibia Television broadcasting of news -- Namibia Namibian newspapers Broadcast journalism -- Namibia Mass media -- Social aspects -- Namibia Namibian Broadcasting Corporation UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132566 |
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