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Wigan Evening Post first paper to breach PCC code on reporting suicide |
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Thursday, 04 October 2007 |
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The wife of a man who committed suicide has had her complaint to the PCC upheld regarding a report of the incident that appeared in the Wigan Evening Post. The adjudication is the first of its kind, following on from the amendment of Clause 5 in the PCC’s voluntary code last year.
Clause 5 was altered in June 2006 following a concerted campaign by emotional support group The Samaritans. It deals with reporting cases of suicide and is there to both safeguard those affected by such incidents and diminish the possibility of copycat cases taking place. The wife of the deceased local teacher claimed that an article that appeared in the Wigan Evening Post on 25th May this year contravened that code. Titled "Electrocuted” the piece included specific details of how the man had killed himself and was, according to the complainant, “irresponsible" – especially so considering his role with young children and how they may have been effected by learning of such details. In an official statement on the newsgroup’s website the paper claimed that the report was accurate but conceded “that too much detail may have been included about the method of death and apologised sincerely for causing the complainant distress.” The PCC stated in its adjudication that this ruling was “an opportunity for the Commission to underline to all editors the importance of taking care over the reporting of suicide.” In doing so it effectively made an example of the Post and its sister on and offline publications. http://www.wigantoday.net
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