Dismay at the Guardian

Here is a copy of the email I sent to the editor of the Epsom Guardian regarding sloppy and sordid journalism (go to pg2) about the sudden death of my year 9 English teacher.

TO: Sean Duggan
CC: Matthew Knowles
FROM: Richard Holliday
SUBJECT: Tony Cooper front page story, Epsom Guardian, 19/3/2009

Mr Duggan,

I am emailing to express my severe disappointment and disgust in the leader article your paper carried this week (19/3/2008); "Teacher Dies; Drugs found".

This headline is offensive to myself as a former pupil and a lot of my friends. How dare you imply that Tony Cooper died of the drugs that were allegedly found at the school, as this headline does imply. I also disagree with the reporting of a "massive heart attack" (an image many people could do without; pretty sensationalist choice of words) in the car park and that Mr. Cooper was "dying" in the car park; which he was not. He died in the ambulance en route to the hospital.

I also disagree vehemently that your reporter chose to include the allegedly discovery of drugs in with the story about Mr. Cooper. These incidents are of no relevance to one another save the connection to the school and I feel it demeans and defames Mr. Cooper's memory. As with others, I also take a dim view of your use of phrases such as "hugely missed" and "larger then life", considering Mr. Cooper was of portly build. These were in poor taste; you should be ashamed of yourself for allowing them to be printed. Better phrases could and should have been used.

The allegation of drug use also defames the valiant and commendable efforts of the school pupils to pay  tribute to Mr. Cooper on Facebook and on the day where they raised £5000 for him; people will be making the link that the pupils that did this are also a bunch of drug-smokers. Not good.

I also did not fail to notice that you seem to have saved this drugs story for the print edition of the newspaper where more people are likely to read it then the online edition. I think this is despicable.

I think you should at the very least post a total retraction of your story and the comments in the printed paper and maybe donate a portion of takings from the paper to the Tony Cooper Memorial Fund for defiling the good name and memory this man had in the minds of myself and many other people who are equally disgusted in this shoddy, sordid journalism.

Regards,
Richard Holliday

Pupil of Glyn, 2001-2008

Update: email editor Sean Duggan with your complaints and grievances by clicking here.