The use of suicide photos

London's Evening Standard and the Times and the Sun yesterday carried photos of a woman leaping to her death by jumping from a fourth floor of a hotel in London.

The photo showed the woman, a successful 52-year-old lawyer, halfway through the fourth floor and the ground.

Now it has emerged that many readers found the photo to be untasteful and lacking in journalism ethics.

So at least five readers, including a friend of the deceased and the Samaritans charity have lodged complaints to the Press Complaints Commission.

The PCC is to investigate whether the newspapers concerned breached its code by publishing the photographs of the woman committing suicide.

So what have the newspapers breached here? PCC's code of practice clause relating to "intrusion into grief and shock" had been breached.

The clause states: "In cases involving personal grief or shock, enquiries and approaches must be made with sympathy and discretion and publication handled sensitively."

And of course we all know what the editors will say in defence - that the publication was a matter of public interest in educating their readers the perils of taking one's life.

I await the PCC's decision in the matter eagerly.

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