I don't think going through death registrations is necessarily scummy (its definitely less scummy, in my opinion, than birth registrations and then making public the details of babies whose parents have worked to keep private). I do think its sort of scummy to press family on making statements or revealing autopsy findings or things like that. The fact of the death might be relevant news but anything beyond that, I think, should remain private. (I understand many don't agree with that,though, and its not likely to happen!)