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Young deaths coverage questioned Young deaths coverage questioned
(about 15 hours later)
The way in which the apparent suicides of young people in Bridgend was covered by the media is to be debated later. A bereaved father spoke of his "stress and heartache" after repeatedly seeing his son's picture in press reports of a number of young deaths in one area.
The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) called for the debate after complaints about the reporting of the deaths which occurred over the last 18 months. The man spoke at a debate by the Press Complaint Commission (PCC) in how the deaths of young people in the Bridgend area had been covered by the media.
The watchdog, which polices newspapers and magazines, says it wants to address how the coverage developed. Local MP, Madeline Moon, who has been critical of some of the reporting said she did not want to "blame and shame".
Chairman Sir Christopher Meyer said the PCC had had no official complaints, but some headlines were "extremely lurid". The PCC said changes in the code of conduct could be made.
He said he wanted people to understand how the PCC monitors sensitive issues. The debate in Bridgend was held on Friday and the father of a young man who died said: "My son took his life last May but why did the newspapers continue to publish his picture?"
"I know that the deaths of so many young people have had a profound effect on communities in and around Bridgend," said Sir Christopher. The PCC is the watchdog for newspapers and magazines
"I very much hope that people will be encouraged to attend this event to share any concerns with us and also with the representatives from the media. He added it had caused immense distress to his family who were undergoing counselling after the death.
"It is very important that people understand the role and remit of the code of practice, and know how the PCC is able to offer practical support to people affected by tragedies such as these." The debate was held after criticism of the media and the press watchdog.
He added that the PCC would then reflect on what it had heard and produce a report or some kind of guidance for the media on how suicides should be reported. The media was accused of blackening the name of Bridgend, intruding on people's grief and insensitive coverage of the deaths.
Criticism Chair of the PCC Sir Christopher was asked why the organisation had not come to Bridgend earlier to observe what had been happening and why many people did not know of the watchdog's existence.
Vincent and Sharon Pritchard, whose teenage son Nathaniel died in February, told a news conference in the days following his death that they believed media reports "glamorised" ways of taking one's life to young people. He said the PCC had only had one complaint about the coverage of the deaths.
However the PCC stressed that schools and other organisations in the affected area had been told of their rights regarding the press. "We came here and found a terrific head of steam of indignation, " he said.
Sir Christopher said: "Our code of practice is pretty strict and we need to hear from people as to whether they think our code of practice was breached. And if they weren't aware of it, one of my missions is to explain explicitly what we can do". "It is clear people are very steamed up here, but people didn't know how to complain.
He also stressed that the deaths were a matter of public interest and the press had a right to report on it. "Newspapers have a public duty. There is a public interest to report on the kind of tragedies that have taken place in Bridgend.
"But we say in our code that these issues have got to be reported sensitively and they must not be reported in too much detail otherwise we are likely to generate copycat suicides." "Having said that there are rules in the Code of Practice which concern harassment, intrusion into grief and shock, and the like."
Friday's meeting at Bridgend's recreation centre will have a panel of speakers, including the PCC's chairman and the Bridgend MP Madeleine Moon. During the afternoon he spent time with some of the bereaved families where issues such as press intrusion, harassment and inaccuracies were discussed.
In addition to the public question and answer debate, the event will include advice sessions where specific concerns can be raised privately. 'Suffering'
"I'd like to thank the PCC for giving the people of Bridgend county borough the opportunity to voice their concerns regarding the press coverage of the recent tragedies," added Ms Moon. AM for Bridgend, Carwyn Jones told the meeting at Bridgend Recreation Centre how reports of the deaths in the county had created "a story based on false premises".
"I hope that this meeting will help inform media reporting of this sensitive issue in future". "It was allowed to carry on and cause so much suffering for families," he added.
The event takes place at the Dunraven Suite, Bridgend Recreation Centre, with an open informal surgery from 1430 BST and the public Q&A session at 1530 BST. "Is it really in the public interest that you report every detail of the case. What can you do about the way it was all reported?"
During the meeting Mr Jones recalled the press was told repeatedly the suicides were not related to the internet but it was continued to be reported.
Sir Christopher said the PCC would reflect on what it had heard and produce guidance for the media on how suicide cases should be reported, which could lead to changes in its code of conduct.
It would also be looking at the use of photographs taken from internet social networking sites and published in papers and magazines.