We call on the Government to strengthen the legal and regulatory framework governing the reporting of suicide, so that newspapers, broadcasters and online news organisations cannot publish unnecessary details that may increase the risk of further deaths or cause additional distress to bereaved families.

In particular, we ask the Government to introduce stronger restrictions on the publication of:

• Detailed descriptions of the method used.

• Precise locations where a suicide has occurred, particularly identifiable public locations or addresses.

• The home address or other unnecessary identifying details of the person who has died.

• Photographs or video that unnecessarily identify, depict or promote the location.

• Suicide notes or detailed extracts from them where publication is not necessary in the public interest.

• Other information which could reasonably facilitate imitation or cause harm to vulnerable people.

We are not calling for the press to be prevented from reporting deaths, inquests or matters of genuine public interest.

We are asking for a clearer distinction between information that is necessary for the public to understand a story and information that is simply available to journalists but may cause harm if published.

Existing professional guidance already recognises the potential harm caused by detailed reporting of suicide methods and locations. However, this guidance is not consistently enforceable across all forms of media.

The Government should therefore revise the existing framework and introduce stronger, enforceable protections so that responsible reporting of suicide becomes the standard rather than relying primarily on voluntary compliance.