NUJ welcomes no change to media reporting on child homicide victims
The union has welcomed the announcement by the Scottish government that it does not intend to introduce any legal changes to restrict the reporting of the identities of children who die as a result of homicide in Scotland.
The announcement brings to an end a year of lobbying by the NUJ’s Scottish Office, who, alongside other media organisations, had argued that there was no need for a change in the law.
The Scottish government’s three-month public consultation, led by Angela Constance MSP, justice minister, had invited responses on whether there should be legislative change to introduce reporting restrictions on the naming of victims, and if so whether such restrictions should be by default, and whether they could be waived.
As part of the consultation the Scottish government made significant reference to the NUJ’s Code of Conduct, which has set out the main principles of UK and Irish journalism since 1936. The code advises journalists on how to carry out their work ethically, including on intrusion into grief or distress.
The Scottish government concluded “The consultation has made clear that there would be serious complexities with developing legislation that avoided unintended consequences; that struck a robust balance between privacy rights and freedom of expression; and that could be enforced in practice.
However, many of the experiences highlighted in consultation responses vividly illustrate the need for more sensitive reporting on these cases. We therefore intend to work with stakeholders on non-legislative measures”
Nick McGowan-Lowe, National Organiser for Scotland for the NUJ said:
“Faced with a difficult decision, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice has reached the only reasonable conclusion, having weighed up the interests of open justice and the right to report responsibly about the most horrific of crimes.
“No journalist can imagine the pain and anguish felt by the families and friends coming to terms with a child’s death, nor do we pretend to. Through this process we have listened carefully to the views put forward by Victim Support Scotland and other organisations representing bereaved families. They have made a strong and emotive case.
“However, any restrictions would have fundamentally been to the detriment of press freedom, would have hindered the police’s ability to hold public appeals and investigate murders, and would have obscured that a significant number of child homicides are carried out by a parent or relative.
“That creates a misleading impression in public perception and creates a gap between the regulated media and social media, in which misinformation and disinformation can flourish, as we saw after the Southport attacks.
“The NUJ is committed to upholding a high ethical standard for journalism in the UK and Ireland, and we will continue to welcome working with other organisations as to how to best balance that against the public’s right to know.”