Web video privacy complaint upheld by Press Complaints Commission
In one of its first major rulings on newspaper web video, the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) has upheld a complaint against the Scarborough Evening News after it published video footage from a police raid on her property.
A press release reads:
“The complainant found this coverage deeply intrusive. No charges had been brought against her as a result of the raid, although police informed her that a “small amount of cannabis” was found at her house (of which she said she had no knowledge). The newspaper argued that it had been invited to attend the raid by police, and was entitled to publish the result.
“The Commission agreed with the complainant that the publication of the interior of her house was highly intrusive, especially when the coverage contained information likely to identify her address. The involvement of the police did not absolve the editor of his responsibilities under the terms of the Code. The Commission concluded that, while it may have been in the public interest to illustrate the police campaign against drugs, insufficient regard had been paid to the complainant’s right to privacy in this case. Showing the video of the complainant’s home involved a degree of intrusion that was out of proportion to any such public interest.
“The complaint was therefore upheld. The newspaper published the ruling in both the print and online versions”
The PCC has previously upheld a complaint against the Hamilton Advertiser for carrying mobile phone footage which did not take enough care to protect the identities of school pupils.
But this ruling may be more significant given the frequency with which newspapers republish video from police forces. In some cases this comes from CCTV or from material seized from suspects (i.e. mobile phones), but in others, such as this, reporters are effectively ‘embedded’, with all the ethical and professional considerations that that should entail. The question is, is the pressure to produce web video bringing newspapers too close to the police?
Written by Paul Bradshaw - Visit Website
No Comments, Comment or Ping
Reply to “Web video privacy complaint upheld by Press Complaints Commission”