Sir, - May I take this opportunity to commend The Irish Times on its policy in relation to the reporting of inquests?
Inquests are extremely painful ordeals for the relatives and friends of a deceased person. The trauma suffered is often exacerbated when the details of the case, including the name of the victim, appears in a newspaper the following day. In the majority of cases, the public interest is not served by the publication of this detailed information.
Early this year, as part of a overall package of reform for our inquest system, I called for the establishment of a voluntary code of practice regarding press coverage. This would ideally protect the identity of the victim and their families except where there was an overriding public interest aspect to the case. I am delighted to see that The Irish Times has decided to adopt a similar policy and I hope that other news organisations follow this example.
This is a small step but it will serve to protect the privacy and dignity of families at what is one of the most traumatic periods in their lives. It is part of a series of reforms that are needed to reform our system of coroners' courts and the inquest procedure, to ensure that relatives are treated in as humane and sensitive a way as possible. - Yours, etc., Pat Upton, TD,
Labour Party Spokesperson on Justice, Dail Eireann, Dublin 2.