WTF Times: 'schoolboys die in cliff fall'

Not at any point does it say he murdered his wife. It says she was killed, as though by an unknown entity. It's a horrific article.

It almost makes it sound like the wounds found on her had nothing to do with him.

I just read this m.independent.ie/irish-news/our-nice-guy-father-murdered-our-mother-and-sister-yet-the-media-focused-on-his-suicide-38058754.html the other day and still it goes on.

The note read: ‘I’m so sorry. I cannot let my children live any more in a world of despair, endless pain and suffering. There is no hope in this life. I cannot find God to get faith and hope.’

He lost his faith in God, so decided to play God instead, by deciding who lives and who dies. "I cannot let my children live any more..." as though it should be his decision whether they should live or die.

The Times seems to be viewing the woman and her children as the man's property.

I really do hate these articles

I remember when a father shot his wife and daughter in my town.

The amount of “he was such a nice guy. Never saw it coming”

The surviving sons have been releasing no ends of articles tell people that their father was actually an abusive controlling dick

or mother and children murdered by husband and father...

the article absolutely is minimising and dismissive - not just the headline but the words chosen throughout the article. i thought we'dmoved from the 'nice guy'narrative- apparently not.

The Independent wrote about this aspect of "sympathy" for the family annihilator.

"Finally and disturbingly, if the killer dies during or following his act of family annihilation, could well be set to be pitied rather than blamed: “Poor soul” ; “Must have borne terrible suffering in the Army, at work, as a child...”; “ Moment of madness” ; “Wonderful dad” ; “Not round to put the record straight”, whatever. And this (probably undeserved) taking into account of past misfortune has possibly been orchestrated by the killer long before the act. Maybe letters have been written, certificates displayed, thousands of pounds raised for charity, compensation successfully awarded... anything to perpetuate a story of awful injustice, noble self-abnegation, valid self-sacrifice. Because the killer’s unbelievable – yet curiously tenable – accomplishment is to write the first version of history.
History he has himself fulfilled. History he has himself shaped".

[email protected]

Agree that the quote from the coroner is bad, but disagree that it’s the “root cause” of the crappy reporting.

Man brutally murders wife then jumps off cliff with her two children

Is a more accurate headline.

I'm disappointed in the Times

Am I reading the same article?
I don't see a "why" in the headline.
The mother having 60 stab wounds is mentioned before anythingthing else, under the image which comes before the text.

The headline "School boys die in cliffall with father" is pretty minimising to say the least, but on reading the article it's quite clear he took them down with him. Although it's annoyingly "subtext" a sort of "read between the lines" summary if events. But no one reading it will think oh they fell accidentally.
I do wonder why the chose that heading?

Who is the journalist responsible for this incompetent reporting?

astonishing reporting- agree with the comments in this thread.

i imagine the journalist will say he doesnt write the headlines but the attitude is implicit throughout the piece: 'poor guy'

I agree that the reporting here is terrible - but I think the root cause is the Coroner’s attitude:
“Sean Cummings, the coroner, described the deaths of the boys and their mother as an “inexplicable puzzle”.
“...Adelino simply could not see a way forward,” Mr Cummings said.”

“Sean Cummings, the coroner, described the deaths of the boys and their mother as an “inexplicable puzzle”. He said they been killed unlawfully in a particularly savage and brutal attack and recorded that Mr De Faria had died by suicide.

This is a terribly sad case and I think DS Flynn put it very well when he said that Adelino simply could not see a way forward,” Mr Cummings said.“

Mr Cummings’ quote isn’t good either. Brutal murder, not an “inexplicable puzzle”. Focus on the perpetrator, not his victims.

It mentions that Laura de Figueira had been stabbed 60 times, and that sedatives had been found in her and the DCs’ bodies, in a passive tense.

It doesn’t use the word murder at all.

I'm no fan of lurid, sensationalist headlines but that article has chilled me to the bone. The mentioning of the stabbed wife as if she was a broken object randomly found in the house is beyond disturbing.

How must her family feel, reading that? Those poor, poor boys. I must be honest, I think the Times usually showcases the absolute best writing in Britain today, no other paper can touch it for journalistic quality. But this, this is a bewildering lapse. Has the journalist responded to tweets?

Though sounds like it was bad journalism

attila I’m sure there are a few cases of women doing this. It sure as hell wouldn’t have a headline saying boys die in cliff fall in a national paper though.

As a similar issue, Daily Mail is horrendous with suicide stories. It always gives the method of suicide in the title, sensational reporting and basically does everything the Samaritans guidelines say not to. Suicide has a big contagion element so, particularly with young people, the Daily Mail are vile for their lack of standards. Maybe the paper was following different guidelines or respecting family wishes? You don’t get very far complaining unless you are related to the family.

What is the journalist’s twitter handle?

That's appalling. I recently watched a BBC series on the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper, and I kept thinking, well, thankfully those 1970s attitudes have mostly gone.

But no. Alive and well at the Times.

www.leewaysupport.org/blog/new-guidelines-for-journalists-reporting-domestic-abuse/

Link to a piece about the IPSO guidelines above.

I don't often like the Daily Mail, but they got it right this time.