BBC Newsround flooded with complaints over coverage of Mark Speight's death

Parents have criticised BBC Newsround's coverage of the death of children's presenter Mark Speight.

Some said their children were left in tears by the programme's in-depth reporting of the tragedy, which included tributes from young fans.

Speight, who presented SMart, an art show on CBBC, was found hanged on Sunday, four months after the death of his fiancée Natasha Collins, a children's TV actress, following a cocaine binge.

His death was Monday's lead story on Newsround, which goes out five times a day across CBBC, BBC1 and BBC2. It was also carried extensively on the show's website. Neither outlet used the word suicide.

One parent rang BBC Radio 2 to complain, saying: "I am very angry that the children's BBC website is reporting the death of Mark Speight."

One listener said: "I am very angry that the children's BBC website is reporting the death of Mark Speight. It is sick and appalling.

"Why is this news on a website which should be associated with positive things.

"It is not the pampered middle-class children who that story will depress.

"It is already vulnerable children from awful homes who look to children's TV as the last place of comfort.

"I am sure a team of idiotic modern day psychologists think it is normal and right to burden children with this terrible news but it is not."

Another claimed: "We live in a bad enough world as it is ... this guy has committed suicide as far as we know.

"But it doesn't have to be rammed down our children's throats."

He claimed people should "look after the innocence of children".

One mother reported she was going to tell their children the presenter had died in an accident because they could not comprehend suicide.

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Other parents have defended the BBC's actions claiming youngsters should not be shielded from the truth.

Barbara Want, widow of former The World At One presenter Nick Clarke, who died from cancer at the end of 2006, said some parents sounded like they were trying to protect their own "uncomfortable emotions" about death.

She said: "This is really not about telling children. It is about finding the right way of telling children."

Others have claimed the BBC should use the death as a chance to drive home to children the dangers of drug use.

Miss Want claimed it was better to be up front with children about death rather than parents "whispering in corners" about it.

The BBC realising the sensitivity of the story ran links to other websites for people who wanted help dealing with the upsetting news.

Parents have claimed Speight was seen as a role model because he was credited with getting children into art and to use their imagination.

A BBC spokesman said "The death of Mark Speight is a tragic and upsetting story. It's likely that our audience will hear and read about it on news outlets for adults, and that they will look to Newsround for an explanation of what has happened.

"Mark was a hugely popular children's presenter and we felt that for Newsround to ignore his death would mean we weren't serving our audience properly.

"Death is obviously a difficult subject matter and, as always, we will ensure that the coverage on the Newsround website and our television bulletins is sensitive and accurate, and that it does not expose younger children to any information that could be particularly distressing.

"As part of our coverage we have given children the opportunity to say what they feel about Mark's death on the Newsround website.

"The response so far has been overwhelming with hundreds of children getting in touch to express their sympathy and say how important and influential he was to them."