Suicides are never ethical to report on. However, when a celebrity or public figure dies from suicide, it it is inevitable that it will be covered in the media. For example, when Robin Williams died, ABC News sent a helicopter to get aerial shots of the scene during a stressful time for his family. It was a complete invasion of privacy. CNN also stated in an article that he had "demons", which was controversial because instead of stating the obvious, they could have educated the public on this issue.
Here is an article about the ethical issues about CNN's comments:
https://www.imediaethics.org/why-its-wrong-to-say-robin-williams-had-demons-cnn-apologizes/?new
When a celebrity or public figure commits suicide, how do you as a journalist decide how to report on it without invading into their personal life and bothering their family while they're grieving? Should journalists use these events to educate the public about mental illness and suicide?
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