Garda bodies condemn coverage of mother's death

The two main Garda representative bodies have condemned the coverage by certain newspapers of the death of a female sergeant and her baby in childbirth last week.

Tania Corcoran (34) died on Friday in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda following the birth of twin boys. One of her babies also died. Ms Corcoran and her baby were buried on Sunday in Co Louth.

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) and the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) yesterday strongly criticised the coverage in the Sunday Independent, Evening Heraldand Irish Daily Starnewspapers in recent days.

An article in the Sunday Independentreferring to the role of Ms Corcoran's husband, Det Sgt Aidan McCabe, in the Abbeylara siege was insensitive and marked "a new low" in journalism, the GRA said.

Headlines on articles about Ms Corcoran's death in the Evening Heraldand Irish Daily Starwere "shockingly brutal and callous", the AGSI said.

GRA vice-president Chris Lee said: "The association is continually frustrated and saddened by the media's continuing usage of a person's membership of An Garda Síochána as an excuse to report salacious, unnecessary and unjustified details of what is in this case a deeply personal, tragic, family matter.

"The article in [the] Sunday Independentrepresented a new low in this respect and the GRA wholeheartedly condemn the insensitivity and cynical opportunism of those involved in printing this entirely unnecessary story," he added.

The AGSI said some media coverage had shown a "complete disregard" for the feelings of Ms Corcoran's family.

"A headline in the Evening Herald, 'Pregnant Garda Drops Dead', and one in the Starthat said 'Cop Dies Giving Birth' - these were shockingly brutal and callous," the AGSI's general secretary, Joe Dirwan, said.

References to Ms Corcoran's profession and that of her husband were unnecessary and had no relevance to the tragedy of her death, Mr Dirwan said.

"Tania was a lovely person, a wonderful woman, wife and mother; her profession had nothing to do with the tragic circumstances of her death."

Certain media outlets had "harassed" Ms Corcoran's family and friends by seeking photographs and interviews, and had phoned one close family member while they were in the mortuary, he said. "Newspapers and the media in general should come together and draw up protocols for dealing with tragic events like this in future and not subject families to such a horrendous experience in addition to their terrible and tragic loss."

The AGSI's offices received many phone calls yesterday from members of the public, supporting its condemnation of the newspapers, Mr Dirwan said.

When invited last night to respond to the criticism, the editor of the Irish Daily Star, Ger Colleran, said: "I will give you my opinion when you will give me your opinion, which I will publish tomorrow."

The editors of the Evening Heraldand Sunday Independentcould not be contacted for comment.