Paper respects privacy of family in most cases of suicide

• Published May 22, 2006 Modified October 19, 2006

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05/22/2006 – Again I hear that another student at North Thurston High School commits suicide and again we don't see it in the paper. We have to hear this from students. Is this not news? Is this why they call The Olympian the "Daily Zero"? You don't know what's going on in the area. I'm sure some of this is out of respect for the family, but we who live in the area want to know what's happening. Our kids are important and at the high school level peer pressure makes it hard for them to deal with school, let alone the death of friends. We parents need some facts to be able to help them. -- Jim, no city provided

Executive Editor Vickie Kilgore: We recognize that after the death of a teenager, other parents may need information to help their own teens cope. We will be writing about teen suicide as an issue in light of the forum organized by North Thurston Public Schools. However, The Olympian typically does not do news stories on individual suicides -- teen or any other age -- unless the suicide is done in a public setting, or involves a newsmaker or law enforcement in some other way, or unless there are extenuating circumstances or a question as to whether it was suicide. The authorities have ruled this particular death suicide, and we respect the privacy of the family in dealing with this domestic tragedy.

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