Reporting Bad News addresses a gap in the literature concerning death reporting and stories of personal tragedy. Much has been written about disasters and large-scale tragedies, but this research concentrates on individual loss and the relationship between journalist and vulnerable interviewee. While much discussion in this area is negative, focusing on the ethics of intrusion and journalists who act insensitively under pressure, the authors aim is to turn this focus around by looking at best practice in encounters between reporters and the bereaved, survivors and the vulnerable. It is hoped that by examining contemporary death reporting, explaining its public service role, proposing a new model of ethical participation and offering a structure for sensitive interviewing, the most harmful aspects of the process can be reduced for both the journalist and, more importantly, the grieving and the victims. The work is based on years of research by the authors, on interviews with journalists, journalism educators, bereaved families and support groups and is supplemented with a detailed analysis of the reporting of death across academic disciplines and perspectives.

Sallyanne Duncan is Programme Director of the MLitt Digital Journalism course at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, and a former journalist. Her research focuses on reporting trauma, suicide and mental health, and bereavement, particularly concerning the individual family. Jackie Newton is Head of Journalism at Liverpool John Moores University and a former print reporter and editor. She is particularly interested in journalists' relations with the bereaved, associated sensitive interviewing and media representations of victims and families.