Executive Summary
Even experienced funeral professionals can make costly obituary mistakes. From legal exposure to ethical violations to simple accuracy errors, these mistakes damage relationships, create liability, and undermine professional reputation. This guide identifies the most common pitfalls and provides clear prevention strategies.
Liability Alert: Funeral homes have faced lawsuits over inaccurate information, privacy violations, and defamatory content in obituaries. Even seemingly minor mistakes can create significant liability.
Common Accuracy Mistakes
Misspelled Names
- Double-check all name spellings against government ID
- Verify maiden names are accurate
- Confirm children/survivors' names are spelled correctly
- Have family review before publication
Date Errors
- Verify birth and death dates against documents
- Ensure age is mathematically accurate
- Confirm service dates/times
Relationship Errors
- Clarify stepchildren vs. biological children
- Avoid assuming family relationship terminology
- Include all significant family members mentioned
Legal & Privacy Concerns
Defamatory Content
Avoid statements that could be considered defamatory:
- "No longer suffered from his many years of criminal activity"
- Insinuations about family members' behavior
- Negative characterizations of the deceased
Privacy Violations
- Don't disclose undisclosed disabilities or conditions unless family consents
- Respect family privacy—avoid discussing personal family disputes
- Be cautious with adopted children's information
- Don't include sensitive financial information
Copyright Issues
- Verify you have rights to all photographs
- Obtain written permission for professional photos
- Don't use copyrighted music without licensing
Ethical Missteps
- Incomplete Information: Not including all survivors or predeceased family
- Unauthorized Changes: Editing family submissions without permission
- Misleading Tone: Changing the family's voice and intentions
- Missing Service Details: Omitting important information family wanted included
Formatting & Publication Mistakes
- Testing links before publishing
- Verifying all formatting displays correctly on mobile devices
- Ensuring photographs display with proper quality
- Confirming no typos in final publication
Prevention Checklist
- ☐ All names verified against government ID
- ☐ Dates mathematically verified for accuracy
- ☐ Family relationships clarified and confirmed
- ☐ Photograph copyrights verified
- ☐ Family given opportunity to review
- ☐ Final proof read by second person
- ☐ Links tested and verified working
- ☐ Mobile display tested
- ☐ No potentially defamatory content
- ☐ Service information accurate and complete
Sacred Grounds includes obituary verification tools and family review workflows to prevent common mistakes. Protect your reputation through systematic accuracy checks.
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