I was dismayed at the Feb. 28 article headed “Woman lay bleeding and dying in abandoned home”. It struck me as both insensitive and sensationalist.
I don’t know any of the family, friends and community of the deceased woman but can imagine that they have had much difficulty grieving for her over the past year and a half. Perhaps the details of her death that you wrote about were known to the family, but perhaps they learned them first from your story. In either case, to now have the horrific scene described in such specifics in the very public forum of the Mirror, seems an added and cruel burden for them all.
Those in the courtroom for the trial, including the Mirror reporter, were given that evidence by necessity. However, that does not mean the general community wants or needs those details. The report of the trial could certainly have been written in a different style, one which was serious and informative but without the sensational tone.
I can’t think what it might have been, but was there any clearly defined editorial purpose for the graphic nature of the article? I would appreciate hearing your ideas on this.
I hope you will change your apparent policy about publishing such writing, especially if you report further on this case as it proceeds, but also when you cover future cases.
Carole Easton
