A regional daily has apologised after publishing an obituary for a man who was in fact alive and well.
The Northern Echo has said sorry to the family of Charlie Donaghy, pictured, who is described as a “lifelong supporter of grassroots sport” in the North-East of England, after erroneously publishing a tribute piece to him on its website on Sunday.
In an apology issued the same day, the Echo said it checked with three independent sources, including a representative of at least one of the clubs Mr Donaghy worked with, who all confirmed the information, prior to it being published.
The Echo removed the story from its site and social media channels as soon as it was made aware that it was incorrect.
In the apology piece, in which it confirmed he is “alive and well”, the Echo ran a statement from Mr Donaghy’s family.
They said: “We are devastated by the inaccuracy of this report.
“This has caused immeasurable distress for my sister as well to many of dad’s friends and supporters over the years.
“To allow this to be released onto the internet without checking with our family is unforgivable.
“Please ensure this never happens to anyone else again as you cannot unhear or unread that your father is dead.”
In its own statement, the Echo said: “We apologise unreservedly for our mistake, and for any understandable distress and devastation that was caused to Mr Donaghy, his family and friends.”
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Mark Twain’s still alive?
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Truly amateur. Check with those who know!!!
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Get a life. If you see what I mean.
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No excuses are acceptable. Next of kin are the only source in this situation. Amateurish.
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Greatly exaggerated indeed…but the source of much humour to follow, methinks.
The (eventually dead) Dave Swarbrick, of Fairport Convention fame, always saw the funny side of it when the Daily Telegraph published his obituary many years prematurely.
The myriad free drinks and pats on the back from relieved relatives and friends are now the stuff of legend.
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Not saying this has happened here, as the Echo maintains it approached three different sources to check the story was correct, but I do fear that a growing obsession within the industry with getting breaking news up online as quickly as possible will lead to increasing amounts of factually incorrect content being uploaded. Just about the one blessing of it having happened online rather than in print is that it could be removed, but not without it having clearly caused a lot of understandable upset to the family.
Ultimately, the sources which were approached may have simply heard the same rumour and taken it as being fact. It goes to show why it is best to always approach the family, both in terms of the quotes and background details they can provide and also to avoid any dreaded scenario like this one.
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Yeah but… Not easy to approach a grieving family and ask if their relative is indeed dead. Would like to be a fly on the wall for that conversation!
Barclays Bank closed my mothers account because my father died and they had the same initial (but not the same sex or second initial). We all thought it was really funny as it was a year after my father’s death and she was in good health but had she been seriously unwell it would have been upsetting. Plus I spent a whole day trying to reinstate all her direct debits etc. They paid £250 compensation but at least they didn’t tell everyone else! ‘No, she’s still alive!’
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I once approached a bereaved family for confirmation and was subsequently accused of press harassment – you just can’t win….
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Ironic this story appeared on the same day as the Society of Editors’ backslapping gathering. This is what happens when papers continually slash posts, do you not see that, editors? Presumably this story was written at a particularly under-staffed moment – a weekend or an evening – when there may not have been any wise heads to ask: “What did the family say?” in the rush to get it online. And despite any other well-meaning efforts to boost its profile, in some circles this ‘story’ is the first thing people think of when they hear the words “Northern” and “Echo”.
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Very sloppy and underlines the effect of cuts? Always, always check with close relatives.
Ad depts are no no better….I recently read a paid for death notice which included the line “very dead husband” instead of “very dear.”
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