Media (re)presentation of suicide in Guyana: Using a feminist media analysis

Abstract

In September 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported Guyana as having the highest suicide rates in the world (WHO, 2014).  The most recent data from WHO (2019) continues to place Guyana among the top 10 countries for the highest suicide rates globally. The findings by the WHO reveal that suicide is a gendered phenomenon when considering the stark differences between males and females. Since the publication of the WHO report in 2014, there have been increased public attention on suicide in the country. In using the media to analyse suicide, Jaworski (2015) posits that newsprint media ‘becomes a site of re-inscription’ whereby an act of suicide becomes marked or demonstrated as masculine. But apart from the gendered interpretations inscribed onto bodies who complete suicide in the media, race and sexuality are also implicated (Jaworski, 2015). 

Media-reported cases of suicide by persons of other ethnicities and genders may not be read or interpreted in the same way as the stereotyped body that is often reported in the media. The media plays an important role in the (re)presentation of suicide and its engagement with readers in their understanding and building solidarity against stigmatisation, and raising awareness about helplines or help centers in Guyana. This paper analyses the (re)presentation of news reported media articles on suicide in Guyana from 2013 to 2015.