Story SS In The News (Megathread)

[CrossroadsCurious]

Starting this one megathread to share links and discuss whenever SS is in the news.

I've found a handful of articles spreadout over the years, but not going to link them all.

Here is the non-paywall readable version of the NYT Story this month (just do a quick captcha check):
https://archive.md/sC621

Here is the original SS NYT story thread that is now archived:
https://sanctioned-suicide.net/threads/nyt-story-megathread.79116/

Here is The UnHerd reaction to the NYT story:
https://unherd.com/thepost/the-nyts-latest-hit-job-backfires/

And here is the article that made me want to start this thread. A story in Vice featuring SS back in 2015, with less than 700 members. Back towards the dawn of time and creation of the SS:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/nze5ww/the-deep-web-suicide-site

Feel free to add a link if you come across a news story about SS that you want to discuss...

 

[NearlyIrrelevantCake]

I rather like the UnHerd article, thanks for sharing that one.

 

[GentlyFading]

I appreciate that other journalists take issue with the NYT article talking about SN and also sharing the forum name. Their choice to include those details makes it clear that NYT's editors care more about a juicy story than ~suicide prevention~

If anyone wants to experience the fancy schmancy animations, you can use this userscript with tampermonkey extension to bypass NYT's paywall.

 

[tardis]

I rather like the UnHerd article, thanks for sharing that one.

Naama Kates is great even though I have disagreements with her.

 

[Bleak]

Starting this one megathread to share links and discuss whenever SS is in the news.

I've found a handful of articles spreadout over the years, but not going to link them all.

Here is the non-paywall readable version of the NYT Story this month (just do a quick captcha check):
https://archive.md/sC621

Here is the original SS NYT story thread that is now archived:
https://sanctioned-suicide.net/threads/nyt-story-megathread.79116/

Here is The UnHerd reaction to the NYT story:
https://unherd.com/thepost/the-nyts-latest-hit-job-backfires/

And here is the article that made me want to start this thread. A story in Vice featuring SS back in 2015, with less than 700 members. Back towards the dawn of time and creation of the SS:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/nze5ww/the-deep-web-suicide-site

Feel free to add a link if you come across a news story about SS that you want to discuss...

Interesting, was the SS forum created before the subreddit? I found SS originally on Reddit and only found this forum years later.

 

[WilNord]

And here is the article that made me want to start this thread. A story in Vice featuring SS back in 2015, with less than 700 members. Back towards the dawn of time and creation of the SS:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/nze5ww/the-deep-web-suicide-site

That was another website with the same name, unlike this website they were on the dark-net only accessible with the TOR browser.That site was shut down for reason's I dont know

 

[NearlyIrrelevantCake]

Interesting, was the SS forum created before the subreddit? I found SS originally on Reddit and only found this forum years later.

The Reddit came first, I believe. The sub was shut down and the site was created.

 

[Circles]

I swear to god I read the headline of this thread thinking 'Not fucking again' and but then read your thread. Whoops.

 

[sleepy adventure]

Thanks for the Unherd article, and for the starting this thread.

It's good to have a place to keep track of things.

 

[GentlyFading]

That was another website with the same name, unlike this website they were on the dark-net only accessible with the TOR browser.That site was shut down for reason's I dont know

I didn't know this! I was being a bit snarky about the headline because this forum can be easily accessed with google. Turns out they weren't making a sensational headline, it's just a different site.

 

[Bleak]

The Reddit came first, I believe. The sub was shut down and the site was created.

So this banning of methods talk then is just the forum going back to what it started as. If I remember correctly methods talk wasn't allowed on the subreddit and it was mostly philosophical discussion of suicide.

 

[NearlyIrrelevantCake]

https://news4sanantonio.com/news/tr...tigate-website-parents-say-encourages-suicide

We found one called, "Best way to hang yourself?" A commenter gave advice, then wrote: "That is how you succeed." Names on the website were crossed out, a signal sent in cyberspace someone else is dead.

A coalition of families across the world all want it shut down, but Washington politics stood in the way: a federal law states you can't sue people who own websites for what's posted on them, and there hasn't been much appetite in Congress to change it.

Nearly a year later, The New York Times just published a front-page story identifying 45 people who died by suicide after visiting the site.

The investigation prompted Congress to finally take notice. Members of the Energy & Commerce Committee released a statement saying they are "deeply concerned" and "the site poses real harm."

The committee is now requesting briefings from Big Tech companies "to better understand how this website is able to continue encouraging suicide."

[...]


This week, Wilson told us she expects to be part of those briefings.

"I would like to see some federal regulation passed with regard to encouragement of suicide. Because believe it or not, there is no federal legislation regarding that," Wilson says.

"What does it mean to you that some members of Congress are caring about this topic?" reporter Emily Baucum asks.

"It's such a relief to me," Wilson answers. "I feel like I can breathe. You know, like - finally. I'm trying not to get emotional, but it's been so hard," her eyes welling with tears.

Congress hopes to get the ball rolling on these briefings this month.

 

[Crazy4u]

https://news4sanantonio.com/news/tr...tigate-website-parents-say-encourages-suicide

this is ridiculous. Lie, lie, keep lying until they believe you. These people are pathetic

 

[CrossroadsCurious]

PBS NewsHour (Dec 16th 2021)

"Why a website with explicit directions for suicide remains active"

 

[Depressed Cat]

Here we go again!

A disgustingly biased article by two shameless individuals - Scott Tong & Serena McMahon, for a petty American radio & news site on Jan 18, 2022

Disturbing website encourages vulnerable users to die by suicide. What's being done about it?

New York Times investigative journalist Megan Twohey co-reported the story as a cautionary tale for those who find these sites while they're looking for support.

www.wbur.org

 

[Crazy4u]

Here we go again!

A disgustingly biased article by two shameless individuals - Scott Tong & Serena McMahon, for a petty American radio & news site on Jan 18, 2022

Disturbing website encourages vulnerable users to die by suicide. What's being done about it?

New York Times investigative journalist Megan Twohey co-reported the story as a cautionary tale for those who find these sites while they're looking for support.

www.wbur.org

what's up with "experts" and the word temporary?! temporary suicidal thoughts, temporary feelings, temporary problems,...etc? are they stupid or stupid?

I wish those so called journalists invest similar time and efforts attacking human trafficking, child porn, and terrorism websites.

Oh and they can go after bigger suicide websites like quora for example. Quora has plenty of suicide posts were few users tell the suicidal person to hurry up and do it

 

[Latios]

what's up with "experts" and the word temporary?! temporary suicidal thoughts, temporary feelings, temporary problems,...etc? are they stupid or stupid?

They are temporarily stupid.

 

[KuriGohan&Kamehameha]

They are temporarily stupid.

Their brains are only temporarily working

 

[Noctis]

what's up with "experts" and the word temporary?! temporary suicidal thoughts, temporary feelings, temporary problems,...etc? are they stupid or stupid?

I wish those so called journalists invest similar time and efforts attacking human trafficking, child porn, and terrorism websites.

Oh and they can go after bigger suicide websites like quora for example. Quora has plenty of suicide posts were few users tell the suicidal person to hurry up and do it

What pisses me off the most is everyone is tripping over themselves to write juicy articles and make click worthy videos about this forum. And everyone is up in arms and calls for it to be banned.

But has a single one of those authors or content creators asked even one of us why we keep coming back? What this website means to us? And not just in researching methods to minimize stress and discomfort during suicide, but to commiserate with other people who know how you feel. A lot of us think about suicide literally every single day. It's become our personality. And we're too shy or introverted to share these feelings with someone face to face.

I've been to several different therapists, and it's so hard for me to open up and talk about myself. But behind this anonymous handle, it's much easier to let it all out and talk about it. And that's the first step to getting better.

So, good job you anti-choice fascists. You're trying to destroy what is likely my strongest lifeline and crutch.

 

[NotStrongEnough]

The thing they don't seem to get is, I very seldom see posts "encouraging" anyone to off themselves, you know? I don't feel like I've EVER been encouraged to do it. Just supported so that if I want to, I can.

Fuck anyone who wants to try and take this site away from us. It's one of the few places where we can fucking talk about these feelings without judgement from those outside, or the fucking platitudes of "it'll get better. It's only temporary". I get it, for someone in their early 20s, sure, that might be the case. But for some (I'd almost say most, but it's not like I've taken a survey or anything), we've been dealing with this most, if not all of our lives. And it's not going to stop just because you take a site away. For some of us, it's literally the only support we have.

If the site were to get shut down tomorrow, it would take away one of the very few support systems I have. Just another reason to CTB - why bother sticking around when the outside world doesn't care what happens as long as you don't die by your own hand.

Fuck you outside world. Fuck you all to hell.

What pisses me off the most is everyone is tripping over themselves to write juicy articles and make click worthy videos about this forum. And everyone is up in arms and calls for it to be banned.

But has a single one of those authors or content creators asked even one of us why we keep coming back? What this website means to us? And not just in researching methods to minimize stress and discomfort during suicide, but to commiserate with other people who know how you feel. A lot of us literally think about suicide every single day. It's become our personality. And we're too shy or introverted to share these feelings with someone face to face.

I've been to several different therapists, and it's so hard for me to open up and talk about myself. But behind this anonymous handle, it's so much easier to let it all out and talk about it. And that's the first step to getting better.

So, good job you anti-choice fascists. You're trying to destroy what is likely my strongest lifeline and crutch.

Preach!

Edit - and just to add, if someone outside this forum is reading - taking ones own life by their own hand is one of the most, if not literally the most, difficult things someone can do. If you can't recognize that, that in order to even get to this place, we have to be at the brink, then you don't actually give a fuck about what they're going through, so long as you get to feel good about "saving" someone from ending their life. Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you for not caring, fuck you for not even asking the people of this forum what's going on here. Once someone like me is supposedly "stable" you then walk away, because it's no longer your issue. That's not help, that's delaying the inevitable.

 

[myopybyproxy]

LMFAO I FUCKGINH CANT

'LARGER IMPLICATIONS OF VULNERABLE MINORS ON THE INTERNET'

'ACCOUTABILITY' please, good sir, pray do tell me more about this accountability and how you plan to protect 'vulnerable minors' such as from abuse and bullying at 'home' and in school. I am ever so intrigued by these mysterious larger implications of which you speak.

This sort of bullshit honestly doesn't deserve a response. I'm going to write one anyway to vent my frustrations. I don't have hopes that any forced-life supporter (the popular term, pro-life, implies that those who are forced to stay have a life beyond existence that is continuously pushed onto them 'for their own good') would change their outlook - it is propaganda. No matter what we say, no matter how coherent, logical, and sane we are, they will dismiss it as the 'temporary' mental illness known as being bloody sick and tired of this disgusting society in which we are forced to exist.

Obviously it's just the depression talking, and once I am forcibly cured against my will with medically induced seizures - with a generous helping of deep fried memory loss on the side - and modelling the new age zombie aesthetic on a cocktail of mandatory medications for which my prescribers are incentivised to write scripts - I will conform to their perspective. All paid for by the productive consumers in the form of government theft aka tax. And of course once I am considered stable, 'safe', 'in remission' - a prime candidate for further mind control - I must now join the ranks of those productive consumers in their free, free society and freely work myself to the bone, a free little lab hamster running on a freely spinning wheel. So now I may have the free privilege of my earnings freely stolen and used to fix deviants for free, compatriots whom I resembled several zombie-incarnations ago. Every time they adjust the medication I respawn a changed zombie.

Fuck you all sick cunts reading this. May you never feel as trapped, hopeless, alone - and the cherry on top, being told that you are delusional from everyone you meet and strangers such as your asinine selves who the fictitious you are blessed enough to never meet - as the majority of members of this forum. For if you were in our shoes for but a fraction of the daily hell and gaslighting we endure, you would be clawing your own eyes out. 'Free' society has brainwashed you. The best part is that you endorse the propaganda. A self sustaining lie that increasingly more of us see through. We see through your bullshit. If you think we're dumb enough to believe it, then you're dumber than we are.

And that's saying something, because the forced treatments diminished my cognitive capability. Compared to the idiots writing these articles, I feel I may be the next Picasso. Oh, wait - a bit too on the nose for the target audience - or shall I say - ear.

That said, if there are any of you who wish to debate, feel free to do so. I will be more than happy to intellectually slaughter you. And if you value freedom so much, consider this: once the decisions and conditions of your death are forbidden to be on your terms, the decisions and conditions of your life will soon follow. The right to die is the flip side of the coin of basic human rights. The right to live, and the right to a dignified, self determined death. I will go when I damn well please, not when you decide I am no longer a useful productive consumer.

 

[Somber]

I'm still waiting for a PM from any of those journalists or politicians that pretend to care about the people on this forum.

Has anyone here been contacted for an interview or conversation or simply an inquiry into how they are doing by anyone from the media?

Seems to me they care a whole lot more about the website than they do about the people themselves. I think that's pretty deplorable.

 

[Marktheghost]

Here we go again!

A disgustingly biased article by two shameless individuals - Scott Tong & Serena McMahon, for a petty American radio & news site on Jan 18, 2022

Disturbing website encourages vulnerable users to die by suicide. What's being done about it?

New York Times investigative journalist Megan Twohey co-reported the story as a cautionary tale for those who find these sites while they're looking for support.

www.wbur.org

The site boasts detailed methods on how to exit this world full of suffering — making the forum "uniquely dangerous" and "tips it into potential criminal activity" territory, Twohey says.

How do they get away with writing such biased nonsense? Seriously, I think we should sue them for libel.

 

[MorsVoluntaria]

A few articles that I found interesting:

How The New York Times handled life-or-death ethical issues while reporting on a popular suicide website (Dec 16 2021)

The New York Times' Take on a Suicide Forum – My Thoughts (Dec 16 2021)

Google Refuses to Pull Website Responsible for Scores of Suicides (Dec 10 2021)

Representing suicide: Giving voice to a desire to die? (Sep 20 2021). An interesting research article about pro-choice forums. I wonder if they are referring to SS?

Grieving B.C. mom wants 'sinister' online suicide forum shut down after son's death (Sep 2 2021). Title sounds a bit dramatic, in my opinion.

Mother speaks out against suicide forum after son's death (May 8 2021)

Warning as 'suicide drug' linked to six deaths is sold online for just £3.49 (Jan 2 2021). At least they didn't explicitly name it like NYT.

'I found my 23-year-old son dead after he killed himself with £8 substance' (Nov 21 2020). Different prices?

People Are Dying After Joining a 'Pro-Choice' Suicide Forum. How Much Is the Site to Blame? (Nov 19 2020). The VICE article.

'Without suicide forums, Callie might still be alive' (Feb 10 2020). Quote: "They are kidding themselves, if they think that actually, these are helpful forums," says Callie's mum."

The Strange Legacy Of The First Sanctioned Suicide Forum (Dec 5 2016). Interesting Vocative article about the old SS subreddit.

 

[Hercules]

Here we go again!

A disgustingly biased article by two shameless individuals - Scott Tong & Serena McMahon, for a petty American radio & news site on Jan 18, 2022

Disturbing website encourages vulnerable users to die by suicide. What's being done about it?

New York Times investigative journalist Megan Twohey co-reported the story as a cautionary tale for those who find these sites while they're looking for support.

www.wbur.org

Who are these suicidal experts that they keep talking about? These "experts" don't even know what they talking about. Why do they always say things like suicide is caused by a temporary problem and studies show that suicidal thoughts are always temporary? I had read another article awhile back, where these "experts" said that studies show that suicidal thoughts are always temporary and when a suicidal person talks to someone, these thoughts go away and never return. They went on to say that 90 percent of people who attempted suicide never made another attempt and went on to lead happy lives. Where are they getting this information from? Who is telling them this? They can't be getting this information from suicidal people.
It would be nice if these "experts" would treat us like real people with real feelings for once. If someone said they had suicidal thoughts, these experts should talk to them without judging them and ask them how long have had these thoughts for and what has happened in their life that they want to kill themself. They could write this down so they could better understand why people commit suicide in the first place Instead of ignoring the problem.

 

[lachancla1]

What pisses me off the most is everyone is tripping over themselves to write juicy articles and make click worthy videos about this forum. And everyone is up in arms and calls for it to be banned.

But has a single one of those authors or content creators asked even one of us why we keep coming back? What this website means to us? And not just in researching methods to minimize stress and discomfort during suicide, but to commiserate with other people who know how you feel. A lot of us think about suicide literally every single day. It's become our personality. And we're too shy or introverted to share these feelings with someone face to face.

I've been to several different therapists, and it's so hard for me to open up and talk about myself. But behind this anonymous handle, it's much easier to let it all out and talk about it. And that's the first step to getting better.

So, good job you anti-choice fascists. You're trying to destroy what is likely my strongest lifeline and crutch.

Also, telling someone the truth about the suicidal thoughts is dangerous. The last DR I was even remotely honest with sent me to the ER for a medical evaluation and he wouldn't treat me because he said it was outside of his expertise. It's a problem that forces you not to be honest with the people who are supposed to help you. I've been hospitalized 6 times, that is enough.

 

[noname223]

I found SS in the German news. I am quite surprised I have searched it often in the past but did not find anything. I think the reason is the outlet is very small. I just made some research maybe it is not that small. But I have never heard of it.

Eine Online-Szene als Todeskult: Wie zwei Incels ein Suizidforum betrieben

Recherchen der New York Times haben ergeben, dass zwei Moderatoren eines großen Incel-Forums eine Seite betrieben haben, die die User:innen zum Suizid motiviert. Nun fürchtet die Incel-Community um…

www.belltower.news

It is very similar to the NYT article it overtakes the narrative of the NYT and its framing. Calls us a death cult and victims of two incels. The article talks a lot about incels. But also about this forum.
I am too tired to answer.

Here is a thread of mine about a study that says media dramatizes the influence of suicide forums.

https://sanctioned-suicide.net/thre...-of-suicide-forums-contradicts-the-nyt.81725/

 

[Dot]

BBC News - The families fighting to shut down suicide websites

The families fighting to shut down suicide websites

The Samaritans charity says the government’s new online safety bill “isn’t fit for purpose”.

www.bbc.co.uk

BBC nws u.k - hs bn aird on t.v

 

[BluesRunTheGame]

BBC News - The families fighting to shut down suicide websites

The families fighting to shut down suicide websites

The Samaritans charity says the government’s new online safety bill “isn’t fit for purpose”.

www.bbc.co.uk

BBC nws u.k - hs bn aird on t.v

Yeah just saw the report on the national 6 o'clock news. Made me want to pull my hair out.

 

[Circles]

BBC News - The families fighting to shut down suicide websites

The families fighting to shut down suicide websites

The Samaritans charity says the government’s new online safety bill “isn’t fit for purpose”.

www.bbc.co.uk

BBC nws u.k - hs bn aird on t.v

Are you fucking kidding me. Again?