Apart from the occasional lapse, the standard of journalism is very high at The Argus but it fell below the latter by the reporting on the inquest into the tragic death of Austen Harrison after a large mirror falling on him (March 26).
It stated that the inquest jury returned a ‘narrative verdict’ on the assumption that readers knew what that was.
While it is acceptable to express legal terms, unless qualified they are meaningless to the layman.
This narrative verdict allows the jury or coroner to expand on their verdict and give a longer explanation of what the main issues are.
A narrative verdict can be a powerful way of exposing any problems or mistakes made, even though it will not name any individuals as being to blame.
If there are disputes about what happened, the narrative can include the jury’s decision on those facts.
The jury should record failings if they contributed to the death.
Robin Tulley
Honey Croft, Hove
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