Dead People In Newspapers?

I was astonished yesterday, to see the dead body of Desmond Moran sprawled for all the world to see in The Daily Telegraph. Almost hidden from the waist up, puddles of blood are still visible, as Mr Moran lyes helpless, waiting to be rescued from the spotlight of the world.

Am I missing something? Since when has it been okay to publish photos of dead people in the daily newspaper? Why has The Daily Telegraph decided for themselves that Mr Moran's friends and family needn't be considered when choosing to publish a photo of their deceased loved one? Whether or not someone has led a criminal life, surely they're still entitled to the basic rights of privacy and respect after they've died?

To see a deceased person after the event in such a personal, vulnerable state is something that should reserved for close friends and family, not spread across the pages of national newspapers. I felt like an imposter, gasing on the dead body of someone I never knew nor cared much about.

Aside from the exploited rights of Mr Moran and his loved ones, what effect would viewing this photo have on a child? They could potentially be seeing their first 'dead person', possibly before they're ready, because The Daily Telegraph decided it was okay to put the image out there.

Has the power of the media become such that they're immune to abiding by laws and moral standards? Sure, The Daily Telegraph MIGHT apologise, as they did after publishing those infamous photos of 'Pauline Hanson', when it's too late to do anything and the photo/s are already out there for everyone to see, the damage already done.

As a regular reader and subscriber of The Daily Telegraph (and therefore smack bang in the middle of their target audience) I want to make it clear that I certainly don't want to be seeing anymore dead bodies, photos with unconfirmed origin or identity or stories with dubious motives when reading the morning paper. This isn't about 'freedom of press' it's about papers printing anything that will get them ahead of competitiors, with the latest 'exclusive' story or photo, whether it should be published or not.

My message to The Daily Telegraph; If you really aim to be publishing what your readers want to read, perhaps you should find out whether the general public is impressed by the recent publicity stunts we've had to endure.