Editors tighten rules on reporting of suicides

Britain's newspaper editors have introduced a new clause into their code of practice to cover the reporting of suicide. Following complaints from the Samaritans and other journalists when three papers published pictures in January of a woman falling to her death, the editors' code committee decided to give the matter proper consideration. The new clauses are designed to help prevent copycat suicides, demanding that "care should be taken to avoid excessive detail about the method used." A formal complaint about the use of the falling woman pictures by The Sun, The Times and the Evening Standard was dimissed by the Press Complaints Commission. Last month a friend of the woman announced that she would be lodging an appeal. (Via pcc.org.uk)