Tabloids face charges over Yeates murder reporting

[anonymous-user]

The media, including the BBC, behaved disgracefully at the beginning of this year when Ms Yeates' landlord was wrongly fingered for her murder. Now two tabloids are having their collars felt by the Attorney General:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14024079

[ewenm]

About time too. Normally when this sort of thing comes up the papers have to print an apology which appears in 8-point font on page 32. At the very least they should have to devote the same number of column inches to the apology (and on the front pages) as they did to the original story. It might make them take some responsibility for what they write...

[Ozzie Osmond]

Not just the national media but PH-land too. See the Jo Yeates thread - extract below.

Zod said:

Eric Mc said:

HoHoHo said:

The Hypno-Toad said:

Sorry but I'm guessing Haymarket must have some really good lawyers. Some of the other forums I visit (who have been sued before) have been deleting threads on this subject as soon as they crop up.

I'm amazed the mods are letting some of the "Columbo" work on here stay in the public domain. I'm not legally trained but if he is innocent.. Jesus wept, guys.

That would effectively mean we can't discuss anything in an open forum for fear of either distorting the facts or corrupting a jury?

Yes - a very real problem, It depends on the widespead coverage PH has. Maybe we are still a relatively obscure corner of the internet here at PH and therefore discussions such as this pass under the radar of the legal system. But it is a genuine concern that overt accusations of a person BEFORE they have had a chance to defend themselves in a court of law could prejudice a jury and guarantee that the accused cannot receive a fair trial.
If that did happen, the courts have the authority to order a case to be abandoned as justice cannot be served.

As is evidenced by this thread, there are plenty of lynch mob mentalists hanging around forums such as this who, in less structured societies, would already have had this chap dangling from the nearest lampost on the basis that he looks a bit odd.

Just check out the McCanns thread for more of this. One of the posters in this thread has spent about 95% of his PH career so far in that one thread.

[fido]

Ozzie Osmond said:

Not just the national media but PH-land too. See the Jo Yeates thread - extract below.

Not comparable IMO - the teacher geezer did nothing to warrant media attention. The other two have wed themselves out to the media.

[anonymous-user]

Discussion on internet fora would rarely if ever infringe the contempt of court rules, as there has to be a substantial risk of serious prejudice to a fair trial. I agree, however, with the observations about lynch mob mentality. The McCann threads here and everywhere else online are curious. Police and prosecutors say no case, but thousands of internet obsessives seem fixated with hounding that unfortunate family. Oops, now they'll all rush in here.

[The Hypno-Toad]

fido said:

Ozzie Osmond said:

Not just the national media but PH-land too. See the Jo Yeates thread - extract below.

Not comparable IMO - the teacher geezer did nothing to warrant media attention. The other two have wed themselves out to the media.

But it wouldn't surprise to find this is the reason why the Maddie thread was deleted today, especially given the direction it was heading.
You can discuss things on the internet of course but once you start getting into the amateur Columbo neck of the woods, you need to be very careful. As I mentioned up there ^^^^^^ if that website I go to starts deleting posts, its a very good reason to become very cautious as they have bitter, expensive, experience of going over the line. (including a permenant injuction from one famous celeb which means they can't even name him on the site.).

[98elise]

fido said:

Ozzie Osmond said:

Not just the national media but PH-land too. See the Jo Yeates thread - extract below.

Not comparable IMO - the teacher geezer did nothing to warrant media attention. The other two have wed themselves out to the media.

But he was a weirdo with blue hair...no need for a trial or anything