About these bombs...
04/08/05 12:42 Media
issues
No, I'm not going to come out of semi-retirement and
say something stupid in defence of murderers and
bombers (although I will make more regular entries in
this blog than I've had a chance to do over the last
few months). But the reportage of the bomb suspects
is causing me some difficulty.
Last Friday, for example, a bulletin on the BBC said that the bombers had been apprehended. Not the suspects, not the people in the pictures, the bombers. Then there was the Sun, not atypically - 'Got the bastards' was the tone.
These people are accused of dreadful things. If they prove to be guilty I'm all for long prison sentences, after due process. But at the moment they have the right to be deemed innocent until proven otherwise - or else what are we fighting to protect when we react against the bombs in the first place? It's certainly not up to people in my profession to decide who's guilty or otherwise, and I hope future coverage will show reporters bearing this in mind.
Last Friday, for example, a bulletin on the BBC said that the bombers had been apprehended. Not the suspects, not the people in the pictures, the bombers. Then there was the Sun, not atypically - 'Got the bastards' was the tone.
These people are accused of dreadful things. If they prove to be guilty I'm all for long prison sentences, after due process. But at the moment they have the right to be deemed innocent until proven otherwise - or else what are we fighting to protect when we react against the bombs in the first place? It's certainly not up to people in my profession to decide who's guilty or otherwise, and I hope future coverage will show reporters bearing this in mind.
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