PRESS RELEASE by Hacked Off: New cases of press abuse detailed in Hacked Off report “Thrown to the Wolves”

 

A new Hacked Off report is published today to mark the fourth anniversary of the sham press regulator “IPSO”. It details a number of recent cases of press abuse, demonstrating that nothing has changed since IPSO was set up.

The report includes quotes from recent victims of press abuse, some of whom have not spoken previously.  It can be read in full here.

Upon release of the publication, Hacked Off Chairman Hugh Tomlinson QC said,

“Former Prime Minister David Cameron described the experience of press abuse, as suffered by ordinary people, as being “thrown to the wolves”.  This report details a number of cases which demonstrate that six years since the Leveson Report was published, innocent members of the public are still being thrown to the wolves.

“Thrown to the Wolves” is published to mark the fourth anniversary of the failed press complaints handler the PCC’s rebranding as “IPSO”.  It exposes the industry’s claims to have established effective press regulation as a self-serving myth. Many of these appalling cases of press misconduct and abuse occurred over the last 12 months.  Nothing has changed since the Leveson Report.

The words in the publication of the bereaved mothers Heather Teale and Figen Murray, who were cruelly mistreated by reporters in the midst of their grief, speak for themselves.  No-one should have to endure what they have been put through by the press.

The message to Parliament is clear: the abuse of ordinary people at the hands of wealthy and powerful newspapers continues, and the number of victims is growing.  It is essential that the Leveson reforms are properly implemented, and that we proceed with Part Two of the Inquiry.”

PRESS ENQUIRIES AND INTERVIEWS: [email protected] or call Nathan Sparkes on 07554 665 940

MEND:

With British Muslims comprising less than 5% of the population, many people have never met a Muslim and even fewer have regular contact and strong relationships with Muslim neighbours. Meanwhile, in the fast-paced world we live in, the majority of people don’t have time to fully research and evaluate every article they read. Therefore, the repetitive negative misrepresentation of a particular community by newspapers inevitably results in distorted understandings and leads to a variety of consequences, including, but not limited to:

Hate crime: The Home Affairs Select Committee has noted the link between negative media representation of minority communities and hate crime.

Discrimination: The promotion of stereotypes leads to public biases and discrimination in areas such as employment.

Marginalisation: Encouraging public fear against a scapegoated community often culminates in calls for restrictions, punitive laws, and the curtailment of the suspect community’s civil liberties and freedoms.

Considering the impacts of fear-fuelled reporting, editors and journalists must be aware of their ethical responsibilities to report, explain, and inform the public accurately and responsibly, without inflaming and pandering to public panic and purposefully fuelling social tensions.