The increasing number of suicide cases has made the role of digital journalism more visible in shaping public perception. In pursuit of attention and visibility, digital news platforms tend to highlight police suicides, which may lead to generalized and negative assumptions about the profession. This study examines how police suicides are represented in nationally circulated newspapers that also operate in digital media and analyzes the impact of such representations on public relations. A qualitative research design was adopted, employing discourse analysis as the primary method. The findings reveal that suicide is not inherently a professional phenomenon but rather the result of individual, social, economic, and psychological factors. However, the frequent emphasis on police suicides in digital media contributes to the perception of policing as a psychologically problematic profession. This perception negatively affects police officers’ interactions with the public and causes occupational image erosion. The study highlights the importance of presenting suicide-related news within an ethical, responsible, and contextual framework in digital journalism in order to prevent stigmatization and misinformation.
Digital journalism; Suicide news; Police suicides; Discourse analysis; Public relations