Internal memo orders staff not to reveal deaths in national parks: Washington Post
The policy applies across Interior bureaus and covers fatalities and serious injuries, after parks logged about 350 deaths a year, park data show.
- The Interior Department issued a December memo instructing National Park Service staff and other employees that they "shall not confirm a death" or disclose serious injuries, reversing the agency's long-standing practice of releasing information regarding fatal incidents.
- Under the new guidance, staff must state only that an "incident occurred" and responders are on scene, leaving death confirmation to "appropriate authorities." Interior Department press secretary Aubrie Spady said this creates a "more consistent approach to incident communications" and is "not intended to conceal fatalities."
- Current and former employees told the Washington Post the policy creates delays and awkward workarounds, such as describing a pilot as being "transported to the local coroner's office" instead of confirming he died. Staff argue timely information helps visitors understand risks.
- After a weekend with fatalities in Sequoia, Yosemite, Organ Pipe Cactus, and Great Smoky Mountains, the Interior Department had not publicly acknowledged any of them—an apparent result of the December memo.
- National parks receive more than 300 million visitors annually, with an average of about 350 people dying in parks every year from accidents, medical emergencies, and environmental hazards, according to National Park Service data.
8 Articles
8 Articles
Interior Department tells staff not to confirm details concerning deaths in parks
The Interior Department reportedly prohibits employees from directly notifying the public about deaths within the national park system. The directive came in a memo sent in December, which tells park staff and others who communicate with the media that they are no longer permitted to confirm deaths or details about severe injuries, according to The...
Interior Department Prohibits Telling Public of Park Deaths
National park rangers say they've been ordered to keep quiet about deaths. After a weekend with four fatalities in Sequoia, Yosemite, Organ Pipe Cactus, and Great Smoky Mountains, the Interior Department still hadn't publicly acknowledged any of them—an apparent result of a December memo reviewed by the Washington Post...
Washington Examiner
Conservative News DailyNational park staff ordered not to divulge park deaths
The Interior Department has directed National Park Service employees and other agency staff not to publicly confirm deaths or severe injuries in national parks, according to a report. An internal memo issued in December instructs Interior Department employees, including park staff and communications personnel, that they “shall not confirm a death” or disclose details about serious injuries, the Washington Post reported, in what would mark a sign…
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