Adjudication No. 1056 (October 1999) [1999] APC 50

ADJUDICATION No. 1056 (October 1999)

The Australian Press Council has dismissed a complaint lodged by Guy Barnett of Hobart concerning an article in the Mercury, Hobart, on 18 August 1999.

The article, headed "A son's last words to his mum", includes the reproduction of a suicide note written by a young inmate of Risdon Prison before he hanged himself.

In his complaint Mr Barnett contended that the impact of the article, including the front page publication of the suicide letter, was against the public interest and could encourage copy-cat behaviour.

Mr Barnett argued that the story was "somewhat slanted in favour of the deceased" and had little regard for victims of crime. The article noted that the deceased had a long criminal record, including convictions for aggravated burglary. Mr Barnett noted his family had been victims of aggravated burglary.

The Council believes that suicide is a sensitive issue for the media and must be handled responsibly and discreetly. However, this should not disqualify the media from reporting specific suicides or confronting the general issues of suicides.

In the case involving Mr Barnett and the Mercury it is clear the mother of the victim released the suicide note to the Mercury and endorsed its publication. For legal reasons the Mercury published an edited copy of the letter, together with the mother's story of her son's death on the front page, with additional material on page 5. One of Mr Barnett's concerns was that there was a brief description on page 5 of how the young man committed suicide.

While accepting that the subject of suicide and the details of the man's suicide note are unpleasant, the Press Council does not believe the report breached the Council's guidelines. The Council believes that the report drew attention to shortcomings in the prison system and was therefore of public interest. Suggestions that such reports may encourage copy-cat behaviour are not proven. The general description of how the suicide occurred took only two sentences near the end of a long article and was in the general context of describing the victim's life.

The man's criminal record or Mr Barnett's own experiences with aggravated burglary, as distressing as they might be, are not directly relevant to the complaint against the Mercury.