Considering that Mr. Wilson requested, "I respectfully ask that the media allow me to receive care and heal in private during this difficult time," it is clear that even he perceives his situation as serious. His request has fallen on deaf ears. Newscasters are camped out at Cedars-Sinai.
If indeed Owen Wilson suffers from depression and if he indeed did try to attempt suicide (as up to this point no statements have been released to confirm or deny), requesting the media to grant him the courtesy to heal and receive treatment in private should ethically be honored. Ethics do not sell air time or newspapers, however.
When reporting on mental health speculations of depression and suicide, wouldn't such reporting warrant at least some information to address the seriousness of the speculated mental health concerns shrouding the hospitalization?
Not so much. Media response (in the majority) clearly has only their interests in mind to sell a story. The severity of what is being speculated has yet to be addressed. Instead, reporters have gone so far as obtain a copy of the police log of a suicide attempt and post it on-line as a PDF. No-name sources "close" to the star are being quoted regarding his depression, suspected reasons for the suicide, and details on how it was accomplished. This type of reporting is potentially inaccurate and misleading as well as an indication of the lack of understanding of mental health concerns: to rely on no-name sources for information of this magnitude is not only dangerous, but disrespectful to Mr. Wilson. He should at least know who sold out on him.
If a reporter is going to speculate about depression and suicide, and then jump to how this may potentially harm his career, it would only seem logical that information would be given to explain why depression and suicide is viewed negatively in Hollywood. By leaping over the most important aspect-the stigma and ignorance still out there regarding mental health-what is left unsaid is an irresponsible failure in news coverage. Negative speculation for a celebrity's career due to mental illness does not bode well for those who are suffering and choose not to seek treatment for just these reasons.
Even the Associated Press couldn't report on the hospitalization without mentioning the speculation of suicide as well as first focusing on the career of Mr. Wilson. As evidenced by their topic sentence, "Owen Wilson's hospitalization has left Hollywood executives in a quandary over how to move forward with movies starring the highly bankable actor."
The AP headline was great ("Owen Wilson Wants to ‘Heal in Private'") but the hospitalization is not the first item mentioned and does not follow the lead-in of the headline. Again, if speculation about a suicide attempt is mentioned, shouldn't the issue of suicide at least be granted a single sentence? Are they too influenced by celebrity reporting?
