Press Complaints Commission Adjudication

The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) adjudicated against 12 national and local newspaper articles on the 5^th January 2009. The organisation found the newspapers to be be in breach of Clause 5 (ii) of the press Code of Practice which was introduced to to minimise the risk of copycat suicides by requiring editors to avoid publishing excessive detail about the method of suicide used.

The PCC took action on the back of informal complaints, from organisations such as Choose Life and Samaritans, about the reporting of the death of a man who had decapitated himself using a chainsaw. Although the PCC found that some newspapers had reported on the death in a sensitive manner, it also found that many publications had reported excessively. 

To read the PCC press release and full adjudications please click here.