I am a journalist who has had to write about suicide-related deaths. 

I am also a person who deeply loves a person who died by suicide. 

I tell you both of these things to make something clear. When I say that reporting on suicide-related deaths is something that should be left to professional journalists, I’m not just sticking up for the profession. It’s true that I believe that journalists bring a professionalism to the craft that cannot be said for those who rush to social media to “break news.”

It’s also true that I am a human being still struggling more than two decades after the unfathomable loss of someone who I will never stop loving. 

There was no social media two plus decades ago, so I can know only what it was like to learn the news the old-fashioned way, via a telephone call that changed my life. 

I can know only the aftermath that came in a pre-social media age.

My heart aches for those who cannot say the same, for those loved ones who have to see what may be most unfathomable tragedy of their lives typed out on social media by people whose purpose in sharing the information is simply to say they can ... and who take no care in policing the resulting comments that crowd in making light of a tragic loss. 

My heart fears for others who read these irresponsible social media posts, posts that show little consideration for the hundreds of peer-reviewed studies that show a very real risk of contagion that comes from suicide-related death reporting. 

Studies have shown us that reporting on suicide-related deaths responsibly can help reduce that contagion risk. Responsible reporting also takes into account those who are grieving, takes into account the human at the center of the story. 

Getting this reporting right is something so serious that experts have written extremely detailed guidelines in recent years to help journalists get it right. 

They spell out the words to use and the words not to use. 

They tell us how to ensure we are factual and not sensational. 

They guide us in how best to be sensitive to grieving family and friends. 

They provide guidance on how to monitor social media comments to minimize harm. 

They remind us we have a professional responsibility to get this right ... and a human one too.