Sunday, 26 June 2011
My Response to The Sun
22:42 | Posted by
Caz |
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A number of weeks ago I was approached regarding my blog and asked if I would be interested in contributing to an article commissioned by The Sun regarding Mummy Bloggers. After some thought I agreed and decided the opportunity to raise awareness of the reality of stillbirth was one not to be missed. So the interview by email took place and a photographer visited me to take pictures to go alongside the article.
Friday, the article was published, only for me to be told that I and two other Mummy Bloggers parts have been cut out of the final piece in an editorial decision.
Friday and Saturday I've been far too busy with Anabelle's Angel Day to think much about this, but today I'm feeling disgruntled. Not because I personally haven't been included in the piece, but because The Sun's editorial decision has fed into the silence and taboo surrounding stillbirth. A national newspaper saw fit to include blogs covering general family experiences but not one covering the hard hitting reality of baby death and what that means for a (my) family's experiences. Maybe baby death is just far too serious a subject matter for The Sun. Article Here
Tonight I've emailed them and told them as much. I wonder what response I will get from them, if any...
Dear Dominic Mohan (Editor)
I write regarding the article published this week "The Mummy Bloggers"
I actually spent time contributing to this article after being approached by Liz Jarvis a number of weeks ago. I was disappointed to hear of the editorial decision to cut my part of it out along with, I was told, 2 other Mummy Bloggers.
I understand the nature of my blog (cazandbelle.blogspot.com) is hard hitting and a serious subject matter; but in the year since my daughter's death I have repeatedly experienced a great taboo and silence surrounding stillbirth.
I cannot only help but feel that The Sun's decision to not include my blog in this article has fed into this experience further and you yourselves have fed into a widespread "brush it under the carpet and not talk about it" attitude.
I understand that the nature of The Sun is to focus on far more light hearted matters but I felt strongly enough to bring this to your attention. With the The Lancet report only a few months ago, and an ongoing campaign between Grazia Magazine and Sands for research to reduce the number of stillbirths in this country, it is important that the tragedy of stillbirth is reported and discussed.
17 babies die in this country every single day; 11 are stillborn, another 6 die in the first few days/weeks of their young lives. This is 6500 every year and equates to 16 jumbo jets crashing each year with no survivors. I'm sure if 16 jumbo jets were to crash each year, The Sun would be one to report that.
As a national newspaper you could've done a lot of good by bringing to the public attention the devastation and realities surrounding stillbirth and helped the cause in raising awareness. I am disappointed (although not entirely surprised) that you chose to perpetuate the silence and taboo that the topic endures.
Regards.
Caroline Morgan.
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- Caz
- After Anabelle - Raising Rainbows. I'm Caz, Mummy to beautiful angel Belle and my wonderful rainbow boys, Xander, Zachy and Luc. Wife to Jon. Twitter @cazem Instagram @cazzyem
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4 comments:
Pants to them!!!
They could have at least put a link on their site if not a full section in the paper.
Well done with all your fundraising this last week.
Sara
Bloody good for you. Hope you get a suitable response xx
Well done Caz. I often feel that if we as bereaved parents welcome, and actively want, discussion of stillbirth in the media, why should other people have a problem with that? It's hard to hear? How hard do they imagine it is to live it? I so get where you are coming from, and it is a tribute to your daughter's short life that you stick up for yourself in this way xx
Good for you. That was really very poor of them. They could have done a lot to highlight the silent tragedy of stillbirth, but preferred to write a puffpiece.
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