Obituary Writing for UK Journalists: A Complete Guide

The Role of the Obituary in UK Journalism

The UK press has a distinctive obituary culture, shaped by tradition and institutional practice. Understanding where an obituary sits within that ecosystem shapes how you research, write, and pitch it.

At its best, the obituary serves three distinct functions simultaneously: it records a life as a contribution to the historical record; it serves as a form of public tribute that the bereaved family and the subject's community can turn to; and it offers readers a window into a world or a set of experiences that may be unfamiliar to them. These functions sometimes pull in different directions, and the craft of obituary writing lies partly in knowing how to honour all three at once.

• National papers vs local papers: Broadsheets such as The Times, The Guardian, and The Daily Telegraph maintain dedicated obituary desks with specialist writers and editors. Their obituaries run to 800–1,200 words and are researched over days or weeks. Regional and local papers take a different approach: they typically run shorter “news obit” pieces of 300–500 words, often written by a general reporter on tight deadline, covering prominent local figures rather than national ones.
• Advance obituaries: Every major UK national paper maintains a confidential archive of advance obituaries — pieces researched and drafted while the subject is still alive. The Times has historically had one of the largest advance obit files in UK journalism. These pieces are updated periodically and published at death with revisions to the opening section. Advance obits allow thorough fact-checking that a news obit, written in hours, cannot replicate.
• News obits: When a prominent person dies unexpectedly, the advance file may not exist. A news obit is written fast — sometimes within an hour of confirmation of death — and draws on whatever archive material, cuttings, and quickly reachable sources are available. Speed increases the risk of error; the same IPSO accuracy standards apply regardless.
• Commissioned freelance obits: Many publications commission freelance specialists to write obituaries of figures in particular fields — science, the arts, sport, the law. If you have deep specialist knowledge, approaching an obituary editor with a proposal for an advance piece on a living figure in your field is a legitimate and valued pitch.
• The public interest test: Not every death warrants an obituary, and decisions about who merits one are editorial judgements. The public interest in a person's life is distinct from the public's general interest or curiosity; a local councillor who shaped housing policy in their borough may warrant an obituary in the local paper even if they are not widely known, while a celebrity famous primarily for being famous may not warrant the same depth of treatment in a serious publication.

Research and Accuracy: IPSO Clause 1 Obligations

IPSO's Editors' Code Clause 1 requires that the press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading, or distorted information. Obituaries are not exempt. Errors in obituaries — wrong dates, false credentials, misattributed achievements — are a significant source of corrections and complaints. The subject cannot correct the record themselves, which makes rigorous pre-publication checking essential.

The challenge is compounded because errors in obituaries tend to compound over time. A wrong date of birth in one piece gets picked up by the next journalist who writes about the subject, then the next, until it appears to be settled fact simply through repetition. This is why primary source verification — reaching back to the original document rather than relying on secondary reporting — is not optional in obituary writing; it is the minimum standard that compliance with Clause 1 demands.

• Verifying dates and titles: Dates of birth, dates of key appointments, and official titles must be verified through independent sources. Birth certificates, electoral registers, and Companies House filings are starting points. Do not rely solely on the family's recollection or on previous cuttings, which may themselves contain uncorrected errors.
• Achievements and honours: Confirm honours through the London Gazette, which publishes all honours list appointments. Verify professional achievements through the relevant regulatory body or professional association. A claim that a subject was the “first woman” to hold a role, or the “youngest” to achieve something, requires specific evidential support.
• Archive research: Your publication's cuttings archive and digital databases such as ProQuest or Nexis are essential starting points. Cross-reference across multiple cuttings — a date that appears identically wrong in five different articles is still wrong. Original source documents carry more weight than secondary reporting.
• Who's Who: The annual Who's Who directory and its online equivalent provide self-submitted biographical data for prominent figures. Treat entries as a starting point rather than definitive: entries are compiled by the subject and may contain selective or optimistic accounts of their career.
• Companies House: For business figures, Companies House records provide reliable data on directorships, company formation dates, and registered addresses. This is publicly available at no charge and is a standard accuracy check for commercial obituaries.
• University and school archives: Many UK universities and schools maintain detailed alumni records and can confirm dates of attendance and qualifications. Where a subject claimed degrees or attendance at a particular institution, contacting the alumni office or the institution's library and archives department is a straightforward verification step that many journalists overlook.
• Parliamentary and public records: For MPs, peers, and public servants, Hansard, the House of Lords record office, and the National Archives hold extensive primary documentation. For former civil servants, the Civil Service Commission and the relevant government department archives are starting points. These records are substantially more reliable than secondary accounts of a public career.

Family Interview Etiquette

IPSO Clause 4 (Intrusion into Grief or Shock) and the NUJ Code of Conduct both address how journalists must conduct themselves when approaching bereaved people. The obligations are ethical as well as regulatory. The practical reality is that good ethical practice and good journalism practice coincide: an approach that is sensitive, well-timed, and clearly purposeful is far more likely to yield rich material than one that is intrusive or rushed.

• Timing: The immediate period after a death is the worst time to make contact. Where possible, allow at least 24 to 48 hours before approaching the family directly. If deadline pressure makes this impossible, send a brief written approach first rather than calling unannounced.
• Phone vs in-person: For most obituary purposes, an initial contact by email or letter is preferable to a phone call. It gives the family time to decide whether they wish to engage, and it creates a record of the approach. Follow-up by phone only after written contact if no response has been received within a reasonable period.
• Never doorstep: Arriving unannounced at a recently bereaved family's home is a serious breach of Clause 4 except in the most extraordinary public interest circumstances. IPSO takes a dim view of doorstepping in grief situations, and the practice is also likely to damage your ability to get the information you need.
• Handling grief: Many families, once they understand that a journalist wants to celebrate and record their relative's life, are willing and even grateful to participate. Be honest about the purpose, allow silences, do not push for information the family is clearly reluctant to provide, and follow their lead on what they want included or excluded.
• Sharing for factual accuracy: Offering to share relevant sections of the obituary with the family before publication — specifically for factual accuracy checking, not editorial approval — is good practice where time allows. Be clear about the distinction: they can correct facts, but they cannot veto your editorial judgements.
• Multiple family members: In some families, different members have significantly different perspectives on the deceased's life and legacy. Approaching only one family member may produce a partial picture. Where family dynamics are complex, seek out the broadest range of perspectives that the family is willing to provide, and be alert to cases where one family member is presenting a selective account that serves their own interests rather than an accurate record of the person's life.

Cause of Death: Samaritans Media Guidelines

Where the cause of death is suicide, specific obligations apply under both IPSO Clause 5 and the Samaritans' media guidelines. These guidelines exist because research evidence shows that detailed suicide reporting can contribute to copycat behaviour, particularly among people who are already vulnerable.

The Samaritans media guidelines are a concise, freely available document that every journalist writing about death should read in full. They are not onerous and they do not prevent accurate, responsible reporting — they simply set out the specific forms of detail and framing that the evidence indicates are harmful. In the context of an obituary, following them means writing about how a person lived, not fixating on how they died.

• Method detail restrictions: Do not describe the method of suicide in detail. The Samaritans guidelines are explicit: even where the method is known to you from the family or from an inquest, publishing specific details of method is both unnecessary to telling the person's story and potentially harmful to readers. Phrase such as “died by suicide” or “took their own life” are appropriate; “committed suicide” is not — the word “committed” implies criminality and is considered stigmatising.
• Safe messaging: Frame suicide in an obituary within a broader account of the person's life and contribution. Do not present the manner of death as the defining or most significant aspect of the life. Avoid language that romanticises or glamourises suicide.
• Signposting: Where suicide is reported, IPSO expects articles to include signposting to support resources. The Samaritans helpline (116 123) and the NHS mental health crisis line (111, option 2) should be included at the foot of the piece. Many publications have a standard line for this purpose.
• Inquest pending: If an inquest has not yet concluded and the cause of death has not been officially determined, describe the circumstances of the death only to the extent that is confirmed. Do not anticipate an inquest conclusion. See the legal section below for contempt considerations.

Archive Obituary Conventions at UK National Papers

The major UK broadsheets have developed distinct house styles for obituaries that reflect their editorial traditions. Knowing these conventions is important if you are pitching or writing for a national desk. Style mismatches — submitting a breezy, anecdote-heavy piece to a publication whose house style is formal and chronological — are a common reason that freelance pitches are rejected even when the underlying research is strong.

• The Times: The Times obituary desk has the longest continuous tradition of advance obituaries in UK journalism. Its pieces tend to be authoritative, measured in tone, and chronologically structured. The Times style uses full titles on first reference and favours elegance over personality. Advance pieces are held in strict confidence and updated at intervals by the desk.
• The Guardian: The Guardian takes a broader view of who merits an obituary than many of its rivals, covering figures from campaigning, community, and the creative arts alongside establishment figures. Its tone is warmer and often more personal than The Times, and the desk commissions heavily from specialist freelancers with domain knowledge.
• The Daily Telegraph: The Telegraph obituary section has a distinctive voice — often witty, occasionally irreverent, and willing to include anecdote and character detail that more formal styles would exclude. Its advance file is large and well-maintained. The desk publishes a substantial volume of obituaries each day by national newspaper standards.
• Advance file system: Across all national papers, the advance file is treated as confidential. Subjects are not told that an advance obituary exists for them, and leaking that a piece is being researched would be a serious professional breach. When a subject dies, the advance piece is updated, reviewed by a senior editor, and then published, often within hours of the death being confirmed.

Structure and Craft

There is no single template for a good obituary, but the choices you make about structure and approach determine whether a piece is merely competent or genuinely memorable. The best obituary writers approach the task as they would a long-form profile, with the additional discipline that every factual claim must withstand the scrutiny of someone who knew the subject far better than the journalist ever could.

• Opening paragraph:The best obituary openings do not begin with the death. They begin with the life — a vivid scene, a characteristic action, or a revealing quote that immediately conveys what kind of person this was. The death, the age, and the dates follow naturally from a strong opening. Avoid the mechanical “X, who has died aged Y, was known for…” construction wherever possible.
• Chronological vs thematic approach:A straightforward chronological structure works well for figures whose career had a clear linear progression. A thematic approach — organising the piece around the person's defining qualities or contributions rather than the order in which they occurred — can be more powerful for complex lives or figures whose significance is harder to summarise simply. Many skilled obituarists combine both: a thematic opening that establishes the person's essence, followed by a broadly chronological life account.
• Quotes from contemporaries:The most effective obituaries draw on quotes from people who knew the subject well — colleagues, collaborators, critics. These quotes provide texture and credibility that paraphrase cannot. Aim for quotes that reveal character rather than simply praise: something the subject said in a specific context is always more powerful than a tribute composed after the death.
• Closing paragraph:The closing paragraph of an obituary carries significant weight. It is the last thing the reader encounters and the image they will carry away. A strong close returns to the theme or image established in the opening, reflects on the subject's lasting significance, and ends on a note that is appropriately resonant without being mawkish. Survivors are conventionally listed in the penultimate or final paragraph.

Tone, Honesty, and the Complexity of a Life

One of the most difficult editorial judgements in obituary writing is how much honest criticism to include alongside the celebration of a life. The instinct in the immediate aftermath of a death is often toward generosity — and that instinct is not wrong. But an obituary that presents only the positive is not an honest piece of journalism; it is a press release for a life.

The standard used by the best UK obituary desks is that anything which was part of the subject's public record during their lifetime is fair to address in an obituary. A business leader who oversaw a major corporate failure, a politician whose record included significant controversy, an artist whose personal conduct was widely known to be difficult — none of these aspects of a life should be disappeared from the record simply because the subject has died.

• Proportion matters: The weight given to a controversy should reflect its actual significance in the person's life and career. A single well-documented failure does not outweigh decades of achievement; equally, decades of achievement do not excuse a pattern of serious misconduct. Give each element the space it warrants.
• Avoid euphemism: Phrases like “not without his critics” or “a complex figure” are euphemistic and tell readers nothing of substance. If there is something specific and important to say, say it with appropriate evidence and attribution. If there is nothing specific to say, do not use vague hedging to imply there might be.
• Right to reply equivalent: Because the subject cannot respond, the obituary writer carries a responsibility that does not exist in the same form in other journalism. Where significant criticism is included, it should be based on verifiable evidence, not hearsay, and it should be framed with the same care you would apply to a claim about a living person facing reputational damage.
• The family's perspective: Family members may object to critical content. Their objections deserve consideration but do not automatically override editorial judgement. A measured, evidenced account of a controversy that was part of the public record is defensible even if the family wishes it had been omitted.

Digital Obituaries and Broadcast Tributes

The digital transformation of UK media has changed how obituaries are produced, published, and consumed. Online obituaries can be updated after initial publication, linked to archive material, and supplemented with multimedia. Broadcast tributes raise different editorial considerations from print. Understanding both contexts helps you produce work that is fit for the platform it will appear on.

• Online publication and the living record: Unlike print, an online obituary can be corrected, updated, and expanded after publication. This is an advantage for accuracy — corrections can be made quickly and visibly — but it also creates an expectation that significant errors will be addressed promptly. IPSO requires prominent corrections, and for online publications this means a clearly flagged correction notice at the top of the article, not merely a silent edit.
• SEO and dignity: The commercial pressures of digital publishing can create tension with the dignity that obituary writing demands. Headline optimisation, click-driven imagery choices, and algorithmic promotion of the most sensational elements of a story can all undermine the measured approach that good obituary writing requires. Editorial standards should govern digital presentation as much as they govern the words in the piece.
• Broadcast tributes: Radio and television tributes are governed by the Ofcom Broadcasting Code as well as, for BBC content, the BBC Editorial Guidelines. The impartiality requirements that apply to political figures are particularly significant in broadcast contexts: extended tribute programming for a political figure must balance celebratory content with acknowledgement of controversy and opposition perspectives.
• Social media and the verification gap: Social media tribute posts and threads are not obituaries in the journalistic sense, but they can shape the public perception of a death in ways that subsequently influence the journalist's own coverage. Apply the same verification standards to social media claims about a death that you would apply to any other source: confirm before publishing, do not amplify unverified claims, and be especially cautious about screenshots and attributed quotes that cannot be independently verified.

BBC Editorial Guidelines on Obituaries

The BBC Editorial Guidelines address obituary and tribute coverage in the context of impartiality, prominence, and the handling of living subjects in advance material. Broadcasters and online journalists at the BBC are bound by these standards; independent broadcasters are subject to the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, which carries analogous impartiality requirements. Print and digital journalists who aspire to BBC standards — or who file for BBC Online — should familiarise themselves with the guidelines even if they are not BBC staff.

• Impartiality: The BBC guidelines require that tribute coverage following a death does not become effectively one-sided advocacy for the subject's views or record. This is a particular consideration for political figures. Extensive uncritical coverage of a politician's death, without acknowledgement of controversies or criticism, could constitute a breach of impartiality requirements. Broadcast obits must acknowledge complexity, even in a sensitive context.
• Prominence vs controversy: The BBC guidelines recognise that prominence alone does not determine how much coverage a death warrants. The nature of the person's public role and the extent to which their death raises matters of genuine public interest are both relevant factors. A prominent person with a controversial record may warrant more nuanced coverage than a tribute format naturally allows.
• Living subjects in advance obits: The BBC, like print organisations, maintains advance material on prominent living figures. The guidelines require particular care about how this material characterises living people. Claims made in an advance piece that could be defamatory or that are not adequately evidenced must be reviewed before publication, even if they have sat in a file for years.

Society of Editors Standards

The Society of Editors publishes guidance notes on a range of editorial standards that apply to obituary journalism. These notes complement the IPSO Editors' Code and the NUJ Code of Conduct rather than replacing them; editors and journalists are expected to be familiar with all three frameworks, since different situations will engage different standards.

• Accuracy: The Society of Editors aligns with the IPSO Editors' Code on accuracy and emphasises that errors in obituaries cause particular distress because they affect a person's permanent public record. The Society encourages publications to prioritise pre-publication accuracy checks over speed, and to publish corrections promptly and prominently when errors do occur.
• Fairness to the bereaved: The Society's guidance notes acknowledge that obituary journalism requires balancing the public's interest in an accurate record against the bereaved family's need for basic respect and dignity. Where a family has provided information in good faith, journalists should not use that information in ways the family could not reasonably have anticipated.
• Corrections policy: The Society endorses a clear corrections policy for obituaries: errors should be corrected online immediately and, where practical, noted in print. Corrections to obituaries should be treated with the same seriousness as corrections to any news story, not downgraded because the subject is deceased.

Legal Considerations

Obituary writers operate in a distinct legal environment that differs from other forms of journalism in important respects. The apparent freedom created by the rule that the dead cannot be defamed is real but partial: it relieves you of one class of risk only to leave others in place that are just as consequential.

Before exploring each risk in detail, it is worth noting the practical implication for newsroom workflow: obituaries should receive the same level of legal review as any other sensitive piece before publication. The fact that the subject is deceased does not simplify the legal landscape — in some respects it complicates it, because the subject cannot provide clarifying information, give consent, or correct errors before they cause harm.

• Defamation of the dead: Under the Defamation Act 2013 and established English law, the dead cannot be defamed. A deceased person's estate has no right to bring a libel claim, and there is no cause of action for posthumous reputation damage in English law. This means that an obituary writer can, in principle, report unflattering facts about the deceased that would have been actionable if published during their lifetime.
• But survivors can sue: Living people mentioned in an obituary retain full defamation rights. A claim that the deceased's business partner defrauded them, or that a surviving relative behaved badly, must meet the same evidential standard as any other defamatory allegation. This is a genuine risk in obituaries, where the full story of a life may involve disputes with people who are still alive. Every allegation about a living person in an obituary requires the same legal scrutiny as any news story.
• Contempt if inquest pending: Where the circumstances of a death are subject to an ongoing inquest, or where criminal proceedings arising from the death are active, the Contempt of Court Act 1981 strict liability rule applies. Publishing material that creates a substantial risk of serious prejudice to those proceedings — including speculating publicly about cause of death or attributing responsibility before the inquest conclusion — may constitute contempt. If there is any doubt, take legal advice before publication.
• Privacy of living relatives: UK GDPR protects the personal data of living individuals. While the deceased themselves have no data protection rights, surviving family members whose information appears in an obituary retain their rights. Be particularly careful about publishing sensitive personal information (health, financial circumstances, relationship status) about survivors, even where that information was shared with you by the family in the course of research.

Practical Checklist

Use this checklist before submitting or publishing an obituary. It covers the key accuracy, ethics, and legal verification steps that UK editorial standards require.

• All key dates (birth, key appointments, death) verified through at least one independent primary source
• Honours and titles confirmed against the London Gazette or the relevant professional body
• Any claims about living individuals reviewed for defamation risk before publication
• Checked whether an inquest or criminal proceeding is pending before publishing cause of death
• Where suicide is the cause of death: Samaritans guidelines followed, method detail excluded, helpline signposting included
• Family approached in accordance with IPSO Clause 4 — by written approach first, no doorstepping
• Family information used only in ways the family could reasonably have anticipated at the time it was given
• Survivors listed with their prior agreement on what to include
• For BBC/broadcast: impartiality obligations considered; controversy acknowledged where relevant to the public record
• Corrections process in place and all platform versions updated if errors are identified after publication

Common Mistakes

These errors recur across publications of all sizes and can result in IPSO complaints, corrections, or in the most serious cases, legal action. Most are avoidable with a systematic pre-publication review.

• Trusting previous cuttings uncritically: An error repeated across multiple publications is still an error. Always trace key facts back to a primary source rather than accepting what a previous obituary or profile stated.
• Assuming the dead cannot defame the living: The obituary writer is not insulated from defamation claims simply because the subject is deceased. Allegations about surviving people require the same standard of evidence as in any other context.
• Using “committed suicide”: This phrasing is outdated, stigmatising, and discouraged by the Samaritans guidelines and most UK editorial style guides. Use “died by suicide” or “took their own life.”
• Publishing cause of death before it is confirmed: Where no inquest has concluded and no official cause of death has been stated, do not speculate. “Died following a short illness” or “died suddenly” are appropriate holding phrases where the family has agreed to them.
• Whitewashing the life: An obituary that presents only the positive is not honest journalism. Where a person had a genuinely controversial record, omitting it produces a distorted account that does not serve readers and can undermine the credibility of the publication.
• Omitting the helpline signpost: Where suicide is mentioned in an obituary, IPSO expects support information to be included. Omitting it is a compliance risk and also a genuine harm-prevention failure.
• Inventing or paraphrasing quotes: Never put words in a subject's mouth that are not documented. Composite or paraphrased quotes presented as direct speech are an IPSO Clause 1 accuracy breach. If you cannot find a real quote, describe what the person was known to say or believe.
• Neglecting to update digital copies after corrections: Where an obituary is corrected after publication, all versions across all platforms — the main article, any aggregator copies, social media previews — should reflect the correction. An uncorrected version continuing to circulate online undermines the purpose of the correction and may contribute to the error being repeated in subsequent coverage.

NUJ Code of Conduct and the Obituarist's Obligations

The National Union of Journalists' Code of Conduct sets out the ethical framework within which NUJ members are expected to work. Several of its provisions have direct bearing on obituary writing, and NUJ members who fail to meet them may face disciplinary proceedings through the NUJ's own complaints process as well as any IPSO investigation.

The NUJ Code requires that journalists obtain information, photographs, and illustrations only by honest means; that they do not intrude into private grief and distress; and that they act with compassion toward victims of crime or disaster. In the context of obituary writing, these principles translate into a consistent set of practical obligations: approach the bereaved honestly, explaining your purpose; do not misrepresent the nature of the piece you are writing; do not use information given in confidence for a different purpose than that for which it was given; and treat the person whose life you are writing about with the same respect for their complexity and dignity that you would want applied to your own life.

• Honest identification: Always identify yourself accurately when approaching sources for an obituary. Claiming to be a friend or acquaintance of the deceased in order to extract information from the family is a clear breach of the NUJ Code, regardless of the journalistic value of the information you obtain.
• Confidential sources: Where sources speak to you on a background or off-the-record basis, you are bound by the same source protection obligations that apply in any other context. Do not publish information in a way that allows a source who asked for confidentiality to be identified.
• The NUJ complaints process:Complaints about NUJ members' conduct in obituary situations can be made through the NUJ's own Ethics Council. This process is separate from IPSO and operates under the NUJ's internal disciplinary framework. Awareness of this parallel complaints route is relevant for freelancers who may not be covered by an IPSO-regulated publisher's complaints process.

Primary Sources

• IPSO Editors' Code of Practice — Clause 1 (Accuracy), Clause 4 (Intrusion into grief or shock), Clause 5 (Reporting suicide)
• Samaritans Media Guidelines — Safe messaging standards for suicide reporting
• BBC Editorial Guidelines — Impartiality, prominence, and obituary/tribute coverage
• Society of Editors Guidance Notes — Accuracy, corrections, and fairness to bereaved families
• NUJ Code of Conduct — Ethical obligations when approaching bereaved people
• Defamation Act 2013 — Full text on legislation.gov.uk; establishes that the dead cannot be defamed under English law