Call for the BBC to stop using the expressions "passed away" and "passes away" in its reporting and broadcasting

We, the undersigned demand that the British Broadcasting Corporation immediately stops using the expressions "passed away" and "passes away" to describe someone's death. The expression is making increasing appearances in television and radio news broadcasts, online reports and in the narration of factual programmes. Whilst this phrase may be in common usage amongst the population to soften the blow of learning of, or speaking about a death, this does not mean that it should be adopted as the accepted term by a broadcaster. The phrase is a coloquailism, and a euphemism, but more alarmingly, has a distinct religious taint and on all these grounds has NO PLACE in a secular, factual account of someone's death. If someone has died, then SAY SO. Death is a clear-cut fact and must be reported as such in news reports, and in the narration of historical programmes. What's next? A murder report stating someone has been "done away with?" A pregnant celebrity being referred to as having "a bun in the oven?" Think it over, BBC. The organisation purporting to be the upholder of standards in world broadcasting should know better. Stop it now. Issue a memo at the highest level and stop it.