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Mother of Deceased: ‘I’m Hurt. I’m Angry, I’m Disgusted.’
Joseph Koscinski died by suicide April 3 at the age of 41, leaving behind many loved ones.
The Society of Professional Journalists’ ethics code advises journalists to “minimize harm” and “show compassion for those who may be affected by news coverage.”
But on the contrary, the Herald‘s news article on his death likely did more harm to both the family of the man who died and those affected by mental illness.
“I’m so devastated that they would be so insensitive as to drum up painful incidents from the past that we had worked so hard to put behind us…all to sell papers,” Koscinski’s mother, Betty Koscinski, told iMediaEthics. “I’m hurt. I’m angry, I’m disgusted with a newspaper that has no respect for human life…most especially my son’s life.”
“Losing a son to suicide is painful enough for anyone without adding total disregard to his memory and our family,” she added.
In a later message, days after her son’s funeral, Koscinski wrote from the heart about the pain of losing her son and the further pain of his death being exploited by the Herald.
“It doesn’t get any easier, and in some ways, it only gets harder with sleepless nights and awakening in the morning to the reality that Joe is really gone,” she e-mailed iMediaEthics. “The grief I deal with every day does not compare to the anger, hurt and even rage that I’m trying to process because of The Herald‘s gruesome and insensitive detailed description of my son’s death.”
