Manchester-based ‘lads’ tabloid The Daily Sport has found itself in hot water with the Press Complaints Commission following its feature on the ten most popular suicide spots in the UK.

The piece, which was published on 30 May, was titled ‘The Top Yourself 10’.

Original lad Brown

The adjudication noted: “The problem with this case was that it was an entirely gratuitous guide to where individuals have killed themselves, and explicitly pointed out to people that there were a number of options about how and where to attempt suicide.

“This was clearly excessive in the context. The commission was also concerned that the light-hearted presentation of the piece – which referred, for instance, to one bridge as being a ‘well-known favourite for Britain’s top-yourself tourists’ – may have glamorised suicide in the eyes of some readers.

“As the code is designed to minimise the chances of imitative suicides, this was a further breach of the code."

In response the paper claimed that the article was both fair and balanced, as well as being in the public interest - an argument that failed to impact upon the PCC’s ultimate conclusion.

The Daily Sport has been reinvigorated as a ‘lads’ title following the appointment of Loaded founder James Brown last year and that of Emap’s Barry McIlheney.

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Comments (9)

2  By George Dearsley , on 17-09-2008 10:22 I disagree Mr Sock. (Or maybe your post carried a disguised double meaning). I believe there should be boundaries of taste and good judgement beyong which no media goes. I'm no killjoy and years ago actually wrote a true - shock horror! - Daily Sport story about a dog who hypnotised people. However, the suicide spot league table tale is just appalling and shows a degree of desperation in filling the paper. Can you imagine how it went down in Bridgend? Report

5  By George Dearsley , on 17-09-2008 12:41 Take a look at this link  http://www.hypnodog.co.uk/.  Mind, I have to say that the Sport did "tweak" the original story somewhat and by the time it appeared in print Hypno Dog had actually mesmerised a burglar (which was not in my original copy). Report