This week, Oregon journalists are doing something amazing, important and pathbreaking: they are devoting the entire week to reporting on stories of suicide prevention and stories of hope and healing.
No journalist community anywhere in the world has ever done this – Oregon journalists are determined to “break the silence” on talking about suicide, with responsible reporting about this public health crisis and the solutions we are trying to build as a community.
We know that we are facing a public health crisis of suicide in this country – but we also know that for every person who dies by suicide, there are 280 people who seriously think about suicide — but instead choose to live. That’s 280 remarkable stories of hope and healing. Oregon journalists are taking the remarkable step of starting to tell those stories, in the context of the public health crisis, to help break the silence on suicide, erase stigma, and launch an overdue and public conversation about suicide prevention.
Journalists will be collecting the stories they publish and broadcast at one website – so you can check www.breakingthesilenceor.com and find stories as they are posted!
You can help make this week important and potent: I am asking each and every one of you to help spread the word on this event, and use your e-mail, social media platforms – and even your dinner table to talk about this important effort.
So long as suicide is in the shadows, we fuel the stigma to getting help – we make it so that people in need suffer alone, rather than reaching out to the help and hope we all work to provide.
Let’s do our part to help Oregon media Breaking The Silence! Please share stories and links by email, on your social media, and with friends and family. And when you can, please use the hashtag #BreakingTheSilenceOR to help spread the word!
