It has been encouraging that the last few years have seen the emergence of a growing body of lawyers specialising in representation at inquests. INQUEST has, of course, been at the forefront of promoting this. – William Armstrong, former Norfolk Coroner
This section has concentrated so far on families using the media for their benefit and trying to set the news agenda. Sadly there are also cases where families have found the press and media to be intrusive, threatening and produced stories that show the families of those who have died, and / or their relative, in a bad light.
There are rules for the media, and these must be respected by anyone producing news stories. However we know that families have been treated badly in the past and it is important you know how to respond when receiving unwanted attention from the press and media.
Families can make a complaint about stories they feel are untrue or inaccurate to the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) which is an independent body which regulates the UK newspaper and magazine industry. At the moment the PCC is changing as a result of the Leveson Inquiry, (the inquiry set up to look at things like phone hacking and the relationship between the press and the police). The PCC will become a new regulatory body, which will have a new name. However the PCC has made it clear that it continues to deal with all complaints in exactly the same way as before. It will also continue to run its 24 hour pre-publication and anti-harassment advice service. The guidelines for how newspapers deal with complaints is called the Editors’ Code of Practice. The Code covers issues such as:
- the newsgathering process
- what to do if you wish to speak to the press
- what to do if you don’t wish to speak to the press
- protection from harassment by journalists and photographers
- making a complaint
- court and inquest proceedings
A full copy of the Code of Practice can be found at www.pcc.org.uk. Any family who feels that reporting of the death of a relative has been reported unfairly, without due concern for the surviving family or wishes to discuss a specific case should consult the Press Complaints Commission website and contact them directly.
The Inquest Handbook, published by INQUEST (available free) also contains some helpful advice on the media (Section 7 Can campaigning help?). Families can get a hard copy of this from INQUEST or can download it from the website: www.inquest.org.uk.
