http://www.blogto.com/feed/recentcomments/?980 Comments recently made in this post on blogTO Copyright 2009 Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:05:58 PST http://www.blogto.com/city/2005/09/suicide_is_news_too/#c18000 http://www.blogto.com/city/2005/09/suicide_is_news_too/#c18000 Toronto, City Thu, 25 May 2006 18:18:44 PDT Re: copycat argument This argument makes a lot of sense to me. But then it's unfortunate that this logic doesn't apply to the rest of what's considered newsworthy. Depressive suicides get a gag order to prevent copycats, but suicide bombers get 'breaking news' banners. I mean, a terrorist group like Al Qaida relies on media coverage. Like I once wrote to the CBC after one of the July's bombings in London, it only seems to give the terrorists what they're after. And as Stevie says, they don't announce them to prevent the copycats looking for attention. All I can say is that if you kill yourself looking for attention you should win a Darwin Award, since as Camus pointed out, you're not going to be around to bask in it. I agree with Blamb's point that the TTC (and the Go Train for that matter) are too quiet about the issue. As Katherine raised in her post, sometimes, this is none of our business. But as Luke asks in his reply, 'is a person dying of cancer news?' Well, I guess it is when it's Chuck Strahl or Chuck Cadman. It's also a big deal if your name is Terry Fox or Lance Armstrong. So yes, a person dying of cancer is news sometimes. I was prompted to write the post, and start this discussion, because when people jump off overpasses onto busy highways, that's something I think we have as much a right to know about as the other accidents that tie up traffic. I mean, there was that example last spring of the suicide and attempted murder of the little girl. The only suicides that get into the news are the murder-suicides, which is nothing we all need to know about. I remember the woman who jumped in front of the subway with her newborn in 2000. That prompted news stories about post-natal depression. And the next time you're delayed for whatever because someone has jumped onto the tracks of the TTC or GO, wouldn't it be better to tell us that is the reason the schedule's gone wonky? Isn't it more fair to have this common knowledge so that the person you're supposed to meet knows this to be the case? Michael and I are the same page. As much as Luke thinks I'm being provocative (not consciously in this case) I'm sort of just asking why not add suicides to the misery porn. Just now at supper I had the misfortune to have the TV tuned to CTV, and they gave my the 'breaking news' and helicopter p.o.v of 'another shooting!' I don't want to know about any of this stuff, but I think it's fair to say that suicides in some cases are something we have a right to know about. ]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2005/09/suicide_is_news_too/#c2216 http://www.blogto.com/city/2005/09/suicide_is_news_too/#c2216 Toronto, City Thu, 08 Sep 2005 18:44:23 PDT http://www.blogto.com/city/2005/09/suicide_is_news_too/#c2213 http://www.blogto.com/city/2005/09/suicide_is_news_too/#c2213 Toronto, City Thu, 08 Sep 2005 16:53:39 PDT http://www.blogto.com/city/2005/09/suicide_is_news_too/#c2212 http://www.blogto.com/city/2005/09/suicide_is_news_too/#c2212 Toronto, City Thu, 08 Sep 2005 16:35:02 PDT http://www.blogto.com/city/2005/09/suicide_is_news_too/#c2211 http://www.blogto.com/city/2005/09/suicide_is_news_too/#c2211 Toronto, City Thu, 08 Sep 2005 13:21:13 PDT Is the TTC's reluctance to talk about the people who kill themselves on its tracks because they think it's morbid? Commiting suicide on the TTC can be potentially dangerous. Several years ago, some of my friends were busking in a subway station and yanked someone off the tracks who tried to jump in front of a train, putting themselves at risk during the resuce. SImilar stories appear in the paper from time to time. Subway suicides can also be traumatic for witnesses and TTC staff. So yeah, reducing copycats is a good idea ... ... but maybe the TTC is TOO quiet. maybe they need to be a little more vocal about how suicides and suicide attemtps on transit hurt others.]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2005/09/suicide_is_news_too/#c2210 http://www.blogto.com/city/2005/09/suicide_is_news_too/#c2210 Toronto, City Thu, 08 Sep 2005 11:49:24 PDT http://www.blogto.com/city/2005/09/suicide_is_news_too/#c2209 http://www.blogto.com/city/2005/09/suicide_is_news_too/#c2209 Toronto, City Thu, 08 Sep 2005 11:07:50 PDT http://www.blogto.com/city/2005/09/suicide_is_news_too/#c2208 http://www.blogto.com/city/2005/09/suicide_is_news_too/#c2208 Toronto, City Thu, 08 Sep 2005 10:42:14 PDT http://www.blogto.com/city/2005/09/suicide_is_news_too/#c2191 http://www.blogto.com/city/2005/09/suicide_is_news_too/#c2191 Toronto, City Wed, 07 Sep 2005 23:42:17 PDT http://www.blogto.com/city/2005/09/suicide_is_news_too/#c2190 http://www.blogto.com/city/2005/09/suicide_is_news_too/#c2190 Toronto, City Wed, 07 Sep 2005 23:27:20 PDT