North East Bylines (NEB) today made clear that it strongly supports efforts by Impress, the independent press regulator, to combat misinformation like that leading to violent disorder in Southport this week, followed by incidents in other places, including Hartlepool, in response to the horrific knife attack in the Merseyside town that left three children dead and ten other people in hospital.
NEB editor Yvonne Wancke said: “Nothing could more starkly illustrate the need for reliable local reporting than the tragic events in Southport. Well resourced local and regional newspapers used to provide trusted reporting for their communities, but they have declined as news and advertising have moved online to social media.
“Even responsible online papers struggle to survive, as NEB reported recently with the closure of The QT, a North East weekly publication produced by professional journalists. Unable to pay its way, it closed after just six months in what NEB described as a blow to regional journalism.”
Impress statement
In its statement this week, Impress said: “The dangers posed by misinformation have rarely been more stark than they were in Southport on Tuesday night.
“In the wake of a horrific incident in the Merseyside town, that remains the subject of police investigation, unfounded rumours regarding the perpetrator’s identity began to spread, seemingly started by accounts masquerading as legitimate news sites.
“Despite police and government officials dismissing this information as false, it was spread on social media and promoted by prominent figures, whipping up anger that manifested in discrimination and violence on Tuesday night.
“While this is not the first time misinformation has led to these outcomes, it needs to be the incident that sparks serious conversations and changes regarding how misinformation is promoted and spread.
“Impress is therefore calling on politicians, media organisations and community groups to convene and collaborate with urgency to improve public news literacy, journalistic standards and discuss future legislation that can help tackle this ongoing and increasingly threatening problem.”
Citizen journalists
Social media can play a useful role in society in giving a voice to the voiceless and bringing people together, and a new breed of citizen journalists has sprung up to take advantage of these legitimate opportunities.
But journalism is an activity that needs to be approached with care. Many entrants to what is now regarded as a profession are university graduates. Even 60 years ago what practitioners then often referred to as a trade required a three-year apprenticeship, known as indentures, including a mix of on-the-job training and college attendance, and legal training has always formed a significant part of that.
Restrictions of what the media can report in the UK are not new, but regulation is constantly evolving and expanding. The standard textbook, McNae’s Essential Law for Journalists*, now runs to almost 600 pages., including a 45-page introduction to “the landscape of law, ethics and regulation.”
McNae’s argues: “It is the journalist’s job to help safeguard freedom, of expression and a free media by reporting accurately and ensuring that people are properly informed about what is being done in their name by those who claim to govern them.
“It is also the job of journalists to safeguard the principle of an independent judiciary by reporting what is going on in the courts, which apply laws intended to safeguard the interests of all…
“Observing ethical codes – in particular those used by regulators – should be an integral part of how journalists operate, to produce respected, fair journalism and preserve freedoms. Failure to respect these codes risks the creation of punitive laws aimed at curbing malpractices and limiting everyone’s freedoms.”
This is what at stake when misinformation is spread on social media, whether through carelessness or in pursuit of an agenda, like that which, it is alleged, led to the violent scenes in Southport and elsewhere.
North East Bylines
NEB aims to tread the line, an endemic part of citizen journalism, between giving a public voice to those who would not otherwise have one while keeping within the law and appropriate ethical codes. Its volunteer journalists are free to express their opinions, whether personal or political, within those limitations. All are expected to undergo basic legal training.
Editor of NEB, Yvonne Wancke, added:
“It is vital that we take responsibility, as news organisations and as individuals, to present information truthfully, and to read information critically and carefully. This is something that we take very seriously in North East Bylines. We support the position taken by Impress.”
*McNae’s Essential Law for Journalists. 26th edition. By Sian Harrison and Mark Hanna. Published by Oxford University Press.
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