Showing posts with label tabloids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tabloids. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

The Tabloids Do It Again

Let me start by declaring firmly that I am a fervent supporter of the freedom of the press. I wholeheartedly believe that it is an essential and fundamental part of any democratic society. I am not going to propose any changes in the strong Swedish "Freedom of Press Act", which is one of our constitutional laws.

However I cannot help getting totally annoyed, irritated and filled with disgust when I see the gutter press again interfering with an ongoing police investigation.

The two largest tabloids in Sweden have today published the name and image of the man suspected to be the Malmö gunman thus to some extent sabotaging the investigation.

As usual both say this was done in the "public interest", which gets to be a lamer excuse everytime they use it but especially in this case where the suspect is a socially isolated and possibly mentaly disabled person.

The newspapers' editorial boards have become more or less like street courts. They seem falsely motivated by the belief that they are better investigators, prosecutors or judges than those hired by the judicial system. Meanwhile what they really are doing is muddying the waters and obstructing justice through their tampering with witnesses.

We need a press that takes it responsibilities seriously and understand that the freedom given to them must be tempered with some measure of common sense and good judgement.