We call on the UK Government to introduce a total legal ban on the filming, publication, and broadcast of footage showing individuals involved in fatal or life-threatening accidents while injured, in shock, dying, or deceased.

 

There should be no circumstances under which a person’s most traumatic moments, or the immediate aftermath of death, are shown to the public — even after next of kin have been notified.

 

Recent media coverage, including footage of Anthony Joshua being pulled from a wrecked vehicle following a serious accident in which close friends died, highlights a serious failure to protect human dignity and the privacy of grieving families.

 

Notification does not remove harm. Families should not have to live knowing images of their loved one’s suffering or death are publicly available, replayed, shared, or archived online.

 

Current regulations rely on voluntary codes and retrospective complaints and do not adequately protect people at moments of extreme vulnerability.

 

We therefore urge the Government to:

 

Make it illegal to publish or broadcast footage of individuals injured, unconscious, in shock, or deceased following accidents
Remove “public interest” justifications for showing raw trauma or death
Apply the law equally to broadcasters, freelance footage, and social media platforms
Introduce meaningful penalties for breaches

 

 

Grief is not public property.

Death is not content.

The law must protect dignity without exceptions.