Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts

Tuesday, 19 January 2010

Fury erupts as we repost something taken down elsewhere.

What a truly wonderful piece of journalism this is:

A FACEBOOK snap of a baby posing with a cigarette in his mouth sparked fury last night.

Pals of six-month-old Ollie's mum Rebecca Davey, 18, were horrified when the photo was posted by a relative on the social networking site.

The picture shows Ollie in a striped babygro with the unlit fag between his lips.

Shocked friends complained to Facebook bosses and the snap was later removed.

Thankfully though the Sun has managed to obtain a copy of the photograph, probably from said "shocked friends" who after complaining to "Facebook bosses" swiftly sold the story to the daily newspaper of record.

It's difficult to know whether there's been any potential infringement here of the Press Complaints Commission's code, presumably on the grounds that the image was first made available by the family themselves. Otherwise the second clause on children is fairly clear:

ii) A child under 16 must not be interviewed or photographed on issues involving their own or another child’s welfare unless a custodial parent or similarly responsible adult consents.

Doubtless the Sun would plead a public interest defence - if this is what they're doing to the child, even as a joke, then the authorities should be informed, as they were. Yet considering that Facebook took it down, doubtless as a breach of the network's code, why reprint the photograph when a description would have sufficed? Or is it just that there isn't much of a story, which there isn't anyway, without the photograph?

If it didn't involve a young mother, who is also naturally pictured complete with cigarette in her mouth, it's even more doubtful whether it would have found its way onto the Sun's website. What was intended as a joke, even if one in very poor taste, has been blown out of all proportion. How does this help anyone, considering the police felt there was no need for further action to be taken, except the newspaper? Answer came there none.

Friday, 30 October 2009

Protecting the kids

It's all about the kids, isn't it. Drugs, booze, paedos, gangs. Got to protect the kids.

Well football is no different. Never mind on the pitch, off it tempers can flare and if you dare to just say the words "it's only a game", well, you only have yourself to blame.

So when a sixteen year old lad threw his beachball on to the pitch (eh?) and deflected the official ball into the goal, which the ref let stand, and so lost Liverpool the game, the Sun in its report did the decent thing...

Liverpool fans accused him of wrecking their Premier League title dreams.

The Sun knows the lad's identity - but is keeping it concealed to protect him.

A Liverpool badge is in the upstairs window of his family's smart semi-detached home.


Good old Sun, looking after the kids. OK, so they said about the Liverpool badge in his upstairs window but Liverpool's hardly a small place and Liverpool has a dedicated following so it's fair to presume there are loads of bedroom windows with the same badge on.

After doing the decent thing, the Sun then go and shoot themselves in the foot after only five days...

Today, Callum Campbell, 16, who lives streets away from the Anfield home of his heroes, claimed he had received death threats from other fans.


In one neat sentence they give his name and the fact that he lives close to Anfield and the very reason why they should still not reveal his identity.

Also makes you wonder if they new his name all along.



Via HallucigeniaUK