@article{ref1,
title="Veterans in the media: Assessing Canadian newspaper coverage of the Lionel Desmond murder-suicide",
journal="Journal of military, veteran and family health",
year="2022",
author="Whitley, R. and Carmichael, V.",
volume="8",
number="1",
pages="68-78",
abstract="INTRODUCTION: Evidence suggests the media plays an important role in shaping public beliefs and attitudes toward societal issues including mental illness, suicide, and Veterans' issues. There is a lack of research examining media portrayals of these issues in Canada. The present study aims to assess the tone and content of media coverage of the Lionel Desmond murder-suicide by: 1) assessing adherence to reporting recommendations for suicide and mental illness in Canadian newspaper articles and 2) documenting and analyzing common themes and narratives contained in these articles. <br><br>METHODS: All articles mentioning the term &quot;Lionel Desmond&quot; were systematically retrieved from over 40 Canadian newspapers throughout 2017 and coded for the presence or absence of key content characteristics using quantitative and qualitative methods. <br><br>RESULTS: Analysis revealed over half of the articles (65.2%) described the suicide method used by Desmond and almost all (98.5%) failed to provide help-seeking information for readers. Moreover, 89% of articles did not include quotes by mental health experts and 64% did not feature any Veteran voices in their coverage. The qualitative analysis revealed four commonly occurring themes: 1) negative impact of going to war, 2) challenges of transition from military to civilian life, 3) calls to action, and 4) commemorating the life of Desmond and family. <br><br>DISCUSSION: Taken together, the results indicate room for improvement in the reporting of Veteran mental health and suicide, suggesting a need for more educational resources and outreach to help Canadian journalists responsibly report these issues. © 2022 University of Toronto Press. All Rights Reserved.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2368-7924",
doi="10.3138/JMVFH-2021-0060",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/JMVFH-2021-0060"
}