An inquest examining the death of Lucy Meadows, 32, was held yesterday by Michael Singleton, coroner for Blackburn, Hyndburn, and Rosendale.
Singleton delivered a verdict of suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. Meadows was found dead at her home in March. In his closing statement Singleton added that the Daily Mail's "sensationalist and salacious" coverage of Meadow's transition from male to female was nothing more than "character assassination."
After delivering the verdict Singleton turned to reporters present and said the following:
And to you the press, I say shame, shame on all of you.
--Michael Singleton
The Daily Mail elevated the story of Meadow's transition to national news from a local matter by publishing an article by columnist Richard Littlejohn entitled He's not only in the wrong body…he's in the wrong job. Meadows was an elementary school teacher. Littlejohn accused Meadows of not caring for the sensitivities of her students and of putting "his own selfish needs ahead of the the wellbeing of the children."
An online petition calling for Littlejohn to be fired garnered over 200000 signatures. Hundreds of people held a candlelight vigil in front of Daily Mail offices.
Meadow's did leave a suicide note, which mentioned monetary problems and the recent deaths of her parents, but did not specifically point a finger at the Daily Mail. She had, however, complained to the Press Complaints Commission in January about Littlejohn's column, which resulted in the Daily Mail removing the column from its website.
Having carried out what can only be described as a character assassination, having sought to ridicule and humiliate Lucy Meadows and bring into question her right to pursue her career as a teacher, the Daily Mail's response was to offer to remove the article from the website.
It seems to me that nothing has been learnt from the Leveson Inquiry or subsequent report.
--Coroner Singleton
Singleton said he was "appalled at the sensationalist and salacious media intrusion she had faced."
Lucy Meadows was not somebody who had thrust herself into the public limelight. She was not a celebrity. She had done nothing wrong.
Her only crime was to be different. Not by choice but by some trick of nature. And yet the press saw fit to treat her in the way that they did.
I would have no difficulty in summonsing various journalists and editors to this inquest to give evidence and be called into account but Lucy Meadows rose above that.
--Singleton
Richard Littlejohn's column emphatically defended the rights of people to have sex change operations but echoed some parents' concerns about whether it was right for children to have to confront such complex gender problems at such a vulnerable young age.
Among the many reasons Miss Meadows gave for taking her actions, none blamed the press coverage. Miss Meadows herself thanked the PCC for the way her complaint was amicably resolved.
--The Daily Mail
We are deeply saddened that this inquest should ever have been needed.
We are glad, however, that the coroner has recognised the serious problem of press character assassinations and the devastating effect they can have on people's lives.
--Jennie Kermode, Trans Media Watch
Singleton called for media guidelines to be tightened. He said he planned to write to MP Maria Miller, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, to warn that further fatalities could result unless action is taken.
I will be writing to the government to consider now implementing in full the recommendations of the Leveson Report in order to seek to ensure that other people in the same position as Lucy Meadows are not faced with the same ill-informed bigotry as seems to be displayed in the case of Lucy.
--Singleton
The UK
Press Complaints Commission announced recently that it was working on new guidance related to reporting on transgender issues.
What we want to come out of Lucy's death is for people in the media to think about what they are writing and the way they are writing it. We are very keen to advise journalists and we want people in the media to know we are here if they have any questions to ask.
--Kermode