School of Journalism director Geneva Overholser told the New York Times that it is "a shame" that some newspapers selectively report on people's causes of death.

Overholser said U.S. media's reporting tends to be more straightforward about listing causes of death, but that there is a tendency to withhold the cause if it is delicate or offensive.

“I think that’s a shame,” she said, adding that selective reporting on kinds of deaths prolonged the stigma attached to some of them.