News Coverage - Jo Yeates case.

[LazyGun]

Flicking between BBC news and SKY this morning, I was struck by the differences between the 2 channels in releasing details of the suspect arrested on suspicion of murder. The BBC and as best I can tell all its outlets, including those local ones to Bristol, kept the details of the suspect pretty vague - but SKY and several commercial outlets released the name of the person arrested.

Anyone familiar with the rules governing the release of such information? Is SKY breaking legal constraints, or are the BBC just being too cautious?

[jd_1984]

Depends on credibility of sources I find. I think Sky sometimes "stick their neck out" BBC stick to the confirmed facts.And if BBC do broadcast an unconfirnmed report, they will state very clearly that it is "Unconfirmed".
Thats just my opinion, the legislative side of news reporting is a grey area for me.

[Gromit]

The BBC tend not to broadcast what the cannot confirm themselves. The recent case of the Chandlers demonstrated that. SKY and other Independents were happy to pass on what their contacts in Somalua were saying, namely that the Chandlers had been released. The BBC needed the Foreign Office to confirm the fact. The Foreign Office would not confirm it untilbseveral hours later, which gave the impression that the BBC were slow.

I suspect SKY had been tipped off from an unofficial source, off-duty policeman etc, and are happy to go to screen with it. The BBC will want the suspect to be officially named before it will broadcast the information.

It is acting more responsibly, but it is slightly tying its own journalists hands at the same time.

[Gromit]

It is quite amusing how the BBC doesn't name him but lets the reader know his identity...

// A 65-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of landscape architect Joanna Yeates.

...

Her landlord Chris Jefferies, 65, who lived above the couple in another flat, reportedly told police he saw three people, one of whom he believed was the landscape architect, leaving the Victorian block of flats. //

[LazyGun]

@Gromit Yes, this is what was confusing me I suppose. It was pretty obvious from the BBC reporting who the arrested person was - But I had always thought there were legal constraints on releasing personal details into the public domain in advance of an official police statement confirming the identity. This is what surprises me about SKYs willingness to broadcast the persons exact identity - It would seem that the legal threat is not that great
There has obviously been some official comment anyway - BBC website has now updated to include name and relationship.

[Gromit]

The laws concerning Sub Judice seem to have been relaxed. I remember when I used to work for an investigative journal, our stories were often stymied by the threat of contempt of court.

// In law, sub judice, Latin for "under judgment," means that a particular case or matter is currently under trial or being considered by a judge or court. The term may be used synonymously with "the present case" or "the case at bar" by some lawyers.
In England and Wales, Ireland,[1] New Zealand, Australia, India, Pakistan, Canada, and Israel it is generally considered inappropriate to comment publicly on cases sub judice, which can be an offence in itself, leading to contempt of court proceedings. This is particularly true in criminal cases, where publicly discussing cases sub judice may constitute interference with due process.
In English law, the term was correctly used to describe material which would prejudice court proceedings by publication before 1981. Sub judice is now irrelevant to journalists because of the introduction of the Contempt of Court Act 1981. Under Section 2 of the Act, a substantial risk of serious prejudice can only be created by a media report when proceedings are active. Proceedings become active when there's an arrest, oral charge, issue of a warrant, or a summons. //

Not sure why this is seemingly ignored these days.

[eyethenkyew]

Put it this way, the Police come to your home, arrest you in connection with such a high profile murder, and the next thing you know is that your details are plastered all over the media.

Bearing in mind at this stage that nothing against you has been proven, nor have you been tried or convicted of anything, how would any of us feel about the sudden worldwide attention brought to bear on you?

That's the media for you, folks.

[DTCwordfan]

Yes I agree with you there eyethenkyew.

My mother has already judged him and he is to hang by his testicles off the Clifton Bridge.....

As I have told her, he has only been arrested as an obvious prime suspect in the case and she must wait for the charging at the very least. The bf was also questioned and had his pc and phone checked. He had the alibi of being away but there was, of course, the possibility of a contract hit to be eliminated.

There is, apparently, another unsolved parallel case in Avon-Somerset from 3 years ago - inside info from someone in the police

[eyethenkyew]

DTcrosswordfan,

Hope I never fall foul of your dear mamma !!!

[DTCwordfan]

She was a judge.......they took her off the bench when she wanted to have someone executed......and suggested that she moved Stateside.

[lslowry]

I'd got the boyfriend down for it on his appearance before the press. Far too cynical for my own good, i think

[boxtops]

BBC News just now has name the landlord.

[boxtops]

^named

[eyethenkyew]

DTcrosswordfan,

Ah, yes, I know the lady - Judge Judy???

[DTCwordfan]

lol - just about!!!!

[DTCwordfan]

but now starting the serious slide of dementia - which makes her legal decision making even more suspect - but probably no worse than some of the old farts on the bench.......