Plymouth baby dies after falling from mother’s bed onto pillows

Featured Sponsor

Store	Link	Sample Product
UK Artful Impressions	Premiere Etsy Store

As journalists, we have been asked if we “enjoy” writing about death. This question is often asked by the family member of someone who has been the subject of a survey. They are often distraught, angry, and deeply hurt.

They often feel that we have intruded on a secret part of their lives that no one else had a right to know.

And we fully understand. The answer is never “yes, I enjoy writing about death.” The answer is that none of us enjoy doing it, but there is a very good reason why we do it.

The following quote is from the Independent Press Standards Organization (IPSO) guidance on investigations. This is the organization created to offer guidance on how we should operate as reporters.

“The fact of someone’s death is not private. Deaths affect communities as well as individuals and are a legitimate topic to report on.”

It sounds pretty cold – “the fact of someone’s death is not private” – but it hits the very core of why we write about it.

Who can attend an inquest and why is it being held?

This is what you need to know. The general public has the right to attend all investigative hearings except in exceptional circumstances and investigations must be conducted in buildings that are “accessible to the public without physical barriers to allow any member of the public to pass.”

All hearings, therefore, are open to journalists and “fair and accurate reporting of the proceedings is encouraged.”

Inquiries are conducted when the cause of death is possibly violent or unnatural, or a person died in prison, in police custody, or in other state detention.

It is a public investigative process to establish who died and where, when and how the death occurred. It will not establish who is responsible for the death and most investigations are completed within six months of death.

Why report on them?

First, it must be reiterated that reporting on investigations is one of the most difficult things reporters have to do, and we recognize that many people feel we shouldn’t.

But there are three very important reasons why we do it.

When reporting investigations, we often draw attention to circumstances that can lead to further death or injury if preventative action is not taken.

By highlighting the events that have led to a tragedy, there is hope that someone reading the story may be in a position to prevent a new tragedy from occurring in the future; recognizing the early signs of spiraling that could lead to someone taking their own life, realizing how little alcohol consumption may be necessary to cause a fatal accident, or addressing a health and safety need to prevent a workplace accident work etc

Secondly, as established in the press guide issued by IPSO, there is a public interest in the information of the inquests, which are public events in any case. By reporting on an investigation, a journalist can clear up any rumors or suspicions about the death.

And third, the principle of open justice applies in coroner’s courts and it is our duty to ensure that hearings are a matter of public record.

Our reports, as a result, are often an impersonal look at the facts of the case, and we know that this can be distressing for families.

Whenever possible, we will reach out to family members who attend the hearing and it is the coroner’s office’s job to notify family members that the media may be present and report on the findings.

Families often do not want to talk to us and we will absolutely respect that. When they do, it allows us to write a more personal narrative in our stories.

But we can’t honor requests we get to not publish a story at all for the reasons mentioned above, harsh as they may seem.

We are not going to sensationalise. We will not be free. We will accurately report on the evidence presented at the hearing and the conclusions to educate, clear up any doubts and uphold the principle of open justice.

We understand that this will not suit everyone. We understand that people will continue to feel that we are intruding on their personal pain and that has never been our intention.

We don’t enjoy reporting on what are often very personal tragedies, but it is important that we continue to publish these stories and I sincerely hope that doing so will lessen the possibility of similar tragedies occurring in the future.

What you can do?

It’s good for people to know that we attend almost every inquest in Plymouth, and when we do, a story will come out.

We understand that coroners in Plymouth routinely inform people that this is the case and that members of the press may be present.

When approaching families to comment on an investigation, our journalists should do so with the fact that investigations can be extremely harrowing for the bereaved in mind. They must stop questioning, pursuing or photographing members of the public if requested to do so by that person or their representative.

We must never speculate and stick to the facts of the case as they are presented at the hearing.

IPSO makes it clear that journalists must take special care when reporting on suicides, to ensure that they do not provide excessive detail about the method used, which could result in someone trying to copy the method.

If you have concerns about the accuracy of reporting an investigation, want to add a personal tribute or request amendments, you can contact the journalist who published the story on Plymouth Live directly by clicking their signature, or email news@plymouthherald.co. uk or by calling 01752 293122.

If you wish to pursue the matter further, the IPSO Helpline is open from 9am to 5:30pm on 0300 123 22 20 or you can email inquiries@ipso.co.uk.