Newspapers have been urged not to splash on suicide stories in new guidance issued by a mental health charity.

Samaritans has called on editors to avoid “overly prominent placement of stories” about people who have taken their own lives, saying they should try to avoid putting such pieces on front pages or at the top of online breaking news feeds.

The plea has appeared in the charity’s updated media guidelines for reporting suicide, which offers practical tips and advice for journalists covering the topic.

The guidance has been circulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation, but IPSO has made clear that while it values Samaritans’ expertise, story prominence is a matter for individual editors rather than a requirement of the Editor’s Code.

The issues around story prominence were included in a section of the guidance entitled ’10 things to remember when reporting suicide’ and include the following recommendations:

• Avoid excessive amounts of coverage and overly prominent placement of stories, such as a front page splash or making it a lead story, and do not link to previous stories about suicide.
• Avoid positioning a story too prominently, for example on the front page, as a lead bulletin, or at the top of an online breaking news feed. This may significantly increase the likelihood of influencing vulnerable people.
• Take extra care with the selection and placement of photos and video. Consider if it is appropriate or necessary to include a large or prominently placed picture of a person who has died, or link to a video of a memorial or funeral.
• This is particularly important for stories featuring young people as it risks glamourising a death. If you must use a picture it is safer to use neutral, non-emotive images.

In recent years Samaritans has issued warnings about the use of social media tributes in stories, which it says is “romanticising” youth suicides, and cautioned local newspapers that campaigns aimed at improving safety at known suicide spots could increase the risk of people taking their own lives.

The charity has also previously warned journalists not to name specific websites or online games linked to self-harm or suicidal behaviour in stories they write.

The latest guidelines have been issued following a consultation with industry leaders and journalists from the UK media last year.

Samaritans media advisory lead Lorna Fraser said: “We know that the current climate has created new challenges for media outlets, in turn adding more pressure on journalists to create of the moment reports.

“This can be difficult when handling a complex topic like suicide, which requires great sensitivity and care.

“The media has a very powerful role in preventing suicides.

“We know that reports and programmes that inform and educate the public about the issues surrounding suicidal behaviour, encourage important conversations and promote the value of speaking out and seeking help.”

In the guidance, Newsquest Yorkshire group editor Nigel Burton said: “Samaritans’ media advisory service is an invaluable help for editors looking to report difficult stories in a sympathetic and responsible way.

“The guidance provided by Samaritans has helped the [Bradford] Telegraph & Argus many times.

“I believe every journalist should be aware of the service – and the training provided by Samaritans – as a key part of their job.”

A  spokeswoman for the Independent Press Standards Organisation said: “IPSO has worked with Samaritans for a number of years and values their expertise.

“They do an excellent job explaining why taking care around reporting of suicide is so important and we were pleased to be included amongst a number of organisations who worked with them to help shape the media guidelines.

“IPSO’s role as regulator is to enforce the Editors’ Code, which recognises the importance of taking care over the reporting of suicide and requires that editors avoid including excessive detail of the method.

“There are no Code requirements around prominence, but we would encourage journalists and editors to consider the Samaritans’ perspective when making their own decisions on coverage.”

The full guidelines can be found here.