A leading journalism trainer has called for the police to do more to prepare grieving families for media requests.
Paul Wiltshire, regional editorial trainer for Local World, has also urged coroners’ officers to tell bereaved relatives of the media’s right to attend inquests.
Paul, pictured left, took to his blog to make the calls after the titles he works with recently found themselves having to “navigate their way through some difficult moral challenges”.
He referred to the case of Britain’s oldest poppy seller Olive Cooke, who was recently found dead in Bristol, as well as other tragic stories reported in the regional press.
Wrote Paul: “There is undoubtedly more that the police could do to prepare bereaved families.
“This week, one of my news editor colleagues took a call from a friend of a man killed in a road accident.
“She said the family had been told that the media would not even report the incident if those relatives did not want to comment.
“Here, more candid and precise information from police liaison staff would have been helpful.”
He added: “Inquests can throw up major fault lines, with private tensions and problems often laid bare as a death is analysed.
“I still believe there is little justification for the media to report on a large number of inquests. But I always tried to warn families that we were in touch with that we might be covering their loved one’s hearing.
“A lot of inquests, though, involve people with whom we have had no previous contact. As we have a perfect right to attend and report on such hearings, perhaps it would be kind for coroners’ officers to tell families this in advance.”
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Quite agree with much of Mr Wiltshire’s remarks, although his claim that there is little justification for covering a large number of inquests is open to question. Out of the dross little jewels sometimes appear.
As a former working journo and retired journalism trainer, I have always held the view that inquests should be reported on in a sensitive way, taking into account the feelings of the bereaved.
Sadly, bereaved families cannot always grasp the fact that an inquest is an open court hearing. I have even been threatened with violence for refusing to leave the court.
One of the questions sometimes asked of me was: “What’s it got to do with you?” Discuss.
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This is a topic that deserves far wider discussion. I have worked on the ‘other’ side supporting families at inquests. Like all professions, some journalists are more sensitive than others, but you are just doing your job. Coroner’s officers could be more proactive in advising families but they have very little experience of the media.
I’ve just launched a website http://www.handlingmedia.org offering advice to families facing the media after sudden death. And whilst the feedback has been great, I need helping getting it “out there”. If any one has any PR advice, it would be very welcome!
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Oldhack. What’s It Got to Do With You?
Usually nothing. We are there to get a good story to sell a paper or ad space on a web site. That’s the blunt truth. The only people who really need to know usually are the relatives.
But occasionally public issues are thrown up, such as a dangerous road or a drugs warning. Then reporting can be useful instead of exploiting misery for money. Always hate doing them. Always feel I should not be there, but part of the job.
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