Four papers have today carried pictures on their front pages of Mick Jagger at the moment he was told of his girlfriend’s death.
The Mail:
The Mirror:
The Sun:
And the Daily Star:
L’Wren Scott, a fashion designer and stylist who had been with Jagger for thirteen years, was found dead yesterday morning. According to the BBC, “police said there was no sign of foul play and no note was found”.
The Editor’s Code of Practice states:
In cases involving personal grief or shock, enquiries and approaches must be made with sympathy and discretion and publication handled sensitively
Is plastering every newsagent, coffee shop and petrol station in Britain with a zoomed-in picture of a man who has just heard his long-term partner has died following this guidance?
It seems the chilling effect of the Leveson Inquiry, which papers complained would curtail their ability to publish Very Important News, doesn’t seem to have had much of an effect yet.