The Salisbury murder victim’s immediate family learned of his death online – and that’s wholly unacceptable and truly tragic in my eyes.
Wiltshire Police confirmed that officers were attending a life-threatening stabbing in Bemerton Heath via a Facebook post on Tuesday (22 August).
Some may say it was irresponsible, given the circumstances, to allow comments to be left under the announcement – especially if staff are not monitoring and removing anything inappropriate.
Tsvetomir Genov was pronounced dead at the scene and his mother left a comment on the post stating “that is my son and we are on holiday someone said he is dead”.
The ability to comment on the post wasn’t turned off until just over one hour after his mother’s comment and by then, she was already informed – by a member of the public – that her son had died.
One person said: “I think you need to turn the comments off. Absolutely nobody should find out that their child has passed away via Facebook or from hearsay.”
And I agree. It’s cruel and heartbreaking. Police forces have specially-trained family liaison officers ready to pass on death messages. It’s a tough job that should be left to them.
Tsvetomir Genov, known to friends as TG, was murdered in the street in a horrific knife attack. The only people qualified to inform his immediate family were those specialist officers.
The person who informed his mother on Facebook just moments after he died should hang their head in shame and consider deleting social media for good.
My thoughts are very much with TG’s family and friends at this sad time, and I hope justice is served in due course.
As journalist who predominantly covers breaking news, I’ve been accused of informing families about deaths a handful of times – but it’s never actually happened.
When I’m covering a fatal incident, I take important steps to ensure the deceased person’s next of kin is informed prior to announcing the news. In most cases, I will wait until the police categorically confirm to me that the death message has been delivered.
You may be wondering what rules journalists must follow in relation to the coverage of deaths – and if there is ever a time where a death can’t be covered.
Only in very, very limited circumstances will there be a restriction (imposed by a court) on naming a person who has died and it’s not something I’ve ever come across.
The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) says, in their guidance, that: “A person’s death is a matter of public record and may affect a community as well as those who knew them.
“The press should take care not to break news of a person’s death to the immediate members of their family.
“Once immediate family are aware, journalists can report a person’s death, even if surviving family members would prefer for there to be no reporting and regard the death as private.”
