Death Knocks

“Death knock” is the term given to, according to Andrew Marr, the art of "knocking on the door of a house which has just lost a family member, preferably in horrific or embarrassing circumstances". They are the closest thing local journalism has to an initiation ceremony.

The idea of turning up unannounced and asking for an interview with someone whose family member has just died is daunting enough. But when you add all the stories from more senior reporters about being chased down the street by grief-stricken relatives, it can be a test of nerves.

Your First Death Knock

Many new journalists find it difficult to go through with their first death knock. Some even lie to the newsdesk that the family was not in. But if you do this then you are not doing yourself any favours because dealing with a sensitive situation like this is a great way of gaining experience.

And while the first one will be difficult, they do get easier. This is because the vast majority of reactions you get will either be positive or a polite no thank you. In fact freelance reporter Rob Dex says the one piece of advice he would give to a new reporter is that death knocks are not as bad as people say. Speaking personally, I have never had a negative reaction.

In fact, it makes you feel good to be thanked by a widow for writing a nice piece and you really get the impression that the interview and the article help with the grieving process.

As well as the fear of the family's reaction, many people feel morally uncomfortable intruding into someone's life at a difficult time and struggle to overcome the feeling that they are taking advantage of them.

In My Trade, Andrew Marr quotes Fiona Anderson's memories of death knocks and they are fairly typical: "There was a house fire with three kids in hospital. I think two died overnight and I had to go around and bang on their door the next mroning and I felt like a piece of shit. Then one of our printers had a son who was killed in a car crash and again I had to go around... It was all too close and I had to get out.”

How to Do a Death Knock

I was always told you should wear light blue because it gives the impression of kindness. I’ve got no idea whether this is true but I used to always wear a blue shirt to a death knock, just in case.

They also say you should not park right outside the house. Walking up to it will give you a chance to compose yourself without looking like you are loitering outside. Also, if they say they are not interested then the walk back to the car gives them the chance to change their mind and call you back.

When they open the door, tell whoever answers it who you are, but don’t explicitly say the words "journalist" or "reporter". Instead, say: "I am from such-and-such paper". Then apologise for interrupting at this difficult time and say you are writing a tribute piece (don’t say “hoping to” or “planning to”) and ask if they have a few minutes to talk to you to give you a better sense of what sort of person they were.

From then on, play it by ear. You should be looking for a short biography of the person, some emotional quotes about the impact of their loss and any details that you do not know about the death. Also, ask for photographs of the deceased that can illustrate the article, and sometimes a photo of the relative holding a photo of the deceased works well, though this depends on the circumstances.

Problems With Death Knocks

If nobody answers the door, put your business card through the letterbox and write a note explaining why you are there and asking them to get in touch.

If they are not interested, do not push it. Just give them a business card and ask them to call you if they change their mind.

Some editors will say you should be persistent even if people are not interested. Sometimes this sort of persistence will work, but everyone has to make their own mind up about the morality of this. Personally, I do not think the chance of getting them to change their mind is worth the risk of upsetting a grieving relative.