Searching for Answers or Following a Trend?
I am amazed! In the last seven days this blog has been found 392 times utilizing various search terms. Eighty-eight percent, or 345, of those search terms are a variation of “detergent suicide recipe” or “how to make hydrogen sulfide”. This is the result of my post titled “Bloomberg Publishes Suicide Gas Recipe” where I, with some help from my friend Nick and fellow blogger Ken at What Japan Thinks, brought to light what we all agreed was irresponsible and sensational journalism by Bloomberg on an alarming suicide trend in Japan which is injuring or killing innocent bystanders.
Bloomberg ultimately corrected the article to delete the ‘recipe’ and product links. I purposely did not link to the article and it is no longer available for viewing online.
But back to the to search engine terms…why are people searching for information on hydrogen sulfide?
The Australian Government has produced a Hydrogen Sulfide Fact Sheet that states the following:
“Hydrogen sulfide is used in the manufacture of pulp and paper (digesting agent), in tanneries and in sulfide ores. Most man made hydrogen sulfide is produced as a by-product of industry, rather than for industry.
Hydrogen sulfide is found in coal pits, volcanic gases, natural gas wells, sulfur springs, and decaying organic matter which contains sulfur.
It is not believed that there are any consumer products that contain hydrogen sulfide. Some consumer products may release hydrogen sulfide, such as septic tanks and the burning of coal or oil.”
A couple of other sites confirm that there is no common use for hydrogen sulfide so I must conclude that this isn’t something the everyday person would need to know or would be curious about. So now I am back to the question above….
Are these searches the result of broad reporting on this alarming suicide trend in Japan?
Or, are they people who, for whatever reason, actually want to learn how to make hydrogen sulfide?
What do you think? Why are people searching for information on “how to make hydrogen sulfide”?
Bloomberg Publishes Suicide Gas Recipe
Today while surfing the web I came across an article on Bloomberg that was reporting on a recent trend of suicides utilizing a gas called hydrogen sulfide. This is a serious concern in Japan as innocent bystanders have been injured by these gas fumes. As a matter of ethics I will not provide a direct link to the article but here are two excerpts that together concern me:
“Japan’s National Police Agency called on Internet service providers to remove information on the subject.”
This statement was followed later in the article by the following
“The gas is made using around four liters….” again I will not continue with the quote due to ethical concerns. Suffice it to say that they not only provided the recipe but also provided links to the product pages! I was horrified and appalled!
I have sent an email to Bloomberg via their online contact form and have emailed the authors of the article the following:
I am appalled to see that Bloomberg published the article “Toilet Cleaner, Bath Liquid Spark New Wave of Suicides in Japan” by Sachiko Sakamaki and Stuart Biggs.
While this article notes that “Japan’s National Police Agency called on Internet service providers to remove information on the subject.”, referring to the recipe for the poisonous gas utilized in these suicides, it goes on to publish the recipe in the name of reporting. Links are even provided to the web pages for the products required to create this suicide gas.
This is nothing short of sensational journalism and I consider the publication of this article by Bloomberg to be completely irresponsible!
While reporting on this suicide trend is appropriate I would suggest that you review your editorial policy that allows for the “how to manual” to be included in this article.
A disappointed reader,
Shane Sakata
I am not an social activist in any sense of the word and this is not something that I would normally do but I feel very strongly about this and would encourage anyone who is reading this to do some research and let Bloomberg know what you think about what they consider newsworthy and their editorial process here: Bloomberg Feedback
If you need assistance finding the article in question please leave a comment and I will send you the link privately.
More (reputable) news on this trend:
CNN Article : Spate of ‘detergent suicides’ hits Japan
Commentary from 7:10 To Tokyo:
A Legacy of Self-Brutality - Latest Japan Suicide Trend
FOLLOW UP POST: Searching for Answers or Following a Trend?
