Samaritans' comment on Jeremy Clarkson's Sun column
Reacting to Jeremy Clarkson’s comments in
today’s Sun newspaper, Catherine Johnstone, Samaritans’ Chief
Executive said:
“The insensitivity of Jeremy Clarkson’s
comments in his Sun column today about people who die by suicide on
the railways truly beggars belief. While purporting to express
sympathy for people who die this way, his remarks about their
bodies constitute gross intrusion into the grief and shock of
bereaved families and friends.
“His notion that suicide is a selfish act
shows how little he knows about the subject because, if he did, he
would know that when a person attempts suicide they are so
distressed that they genuinely believe their families will be
better off without them. The concept that their actions could be
construed as selfish is the furthest thing from their mind.
Fortunately, most of us will never experience the mental torture
that leads someone to die by suicide.
“Furthermore, if Jeremy Clarkson knew anything
about suicide he would also know that insensitive media coverage of
the subject could trigger so-called ‘copycat’ deaths. The fact that
he has chosen to add fuel to the flames of the comments he made
earlier this week on the BBC One Show again beggars belief. It’s
one thing to joke about people on strike, it’s in an entirely
different realm of poor taste to joke about suicide.
“We have already made a complaint to Ofcom
about his remarks on the One Show and we will now be taking up
today’s comments with the Press Complaints Commission.
“We want remind anyone who has been distressed
by Clarkson’s comments today that Samaritans’ volunteers are on
hand 24/7 on 08457 90 90 90 to offer support.”
- Ends -
In January 2010, Samaritans launched a
five-year partnership with Network Rail to reduce suicides on the
railways. Find out more here:
http://www.samaritans.org/support_samaritans/corporate_supporters/our_corporate_partners/network_rail.aspx
Listen to train driver Paul Trigwell talking
about his experience of a rail suicide and the partnership between
Samaritans and Network Rail:
http://www.samaritans.org/media_centre/special_reports/network_rail_2011_update/nr_paul_vodcast.aspx
For advice on how to report
this story sensitively see: http://www.samaritans.org/media_centre/media_guidelines.aspx
Samaritans’ out-of-hours press phone number
is 07943 809162