Media coverage of Amanda Todd case concerns school board
Posted December 3, 2012 11:20 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The Vancouver School Board is voicing concerns about how the media reports on suicides, in light of the publicity surrounding Amanda Todd’s death.
But the board’s chair is less interested in challenging how politicians are talking about it.
Premier Christy Clark is among those who have publicly brought up Amanda Todd’s death on a number of occasions in recent weeks. School Board Chair Patti Bacchus says she’s tried not to do that.
“Personally, I have concerns as well, and it’s something I’ve worked very hard to avoid doing… even mentioning this girl’s name, i think, repeatedly in the media,” says Bacchus.
But while Bacchus is encouraging media to follow guidelines on how to report suicide, she says the board has not discussed how politicians handle the issue.
“I think that’s a fair question. But in this case, this particular recommendation we have is looking at the media coverage, because that’s what we know from research. That’s where we have advice from experts.”
She says she’s concerned about the politics of taking on that.
