By Gabriel Princewill-
A feminist group is calling on press regulator Ipso to present restrictive guidelines on how the media report cases of domestic violence.
The feminist group-Level Up – on their website aspire for the UK to be ”a place where all women and non-binary people are valued the same as men, whether it’s at home, work or on the streets. And we’re ready to roll up our sleeves and make change happen”. Like all reasonable members of society, we share their vision, but not all their recommendations.
Level Up last week published its suggested media guidelines to IPSO ,asking for the press regulators to place the responsibility solely on the killer rather than use speculative “reasons” or “triggers”. This falls under the accountability bracket in their carefully thought out recommendations. Level Up is also calling on journalists to identify the crime as ”domestic violence, instead of tragedy or horror” and seek dignity and equality by avoiding sensationalist, insensitive or trivializing language, and graphic details.
Level Up further wants the National Domestic Violence Helpline number to be given at the end of relevant articles. The group additionally call for titles to stop using stock images that “reinforce the myth that it’s only a physical crime”. A petition launched alongside the campaign earlier this week has already received more than 10,000 signatures, halfway to its target of 20,000.
Starling said the campaign had not been triggered by the reporting of any particular story but rather the cumulative effect of many, She cited the example of Melanie Clark who was stabbed to death by her husband David on New Year’s Eve.
Professor Liz Taylor, Professor and Director of the Child and Abuse Studies told press regulators Ipso that:
‘women killed by their partners do not have dignified deaths, the least they should be afforded is dignity after death. We also owe this to their children and relatives – grief can be compounded by careless media reporting. We need to care more, not less’.
OBJECTIONS
Among examples cited by the group includes that of monstrous 49 year old Kenneth Clarke who plunged a kitchen knife into the chest of his 44 year old wife, Melanie, after she taunted him and told him about a new relationship she began with 31 year old Katie Bastian, the daughter of a close friend. The feminist group object to the way the media reported the story. Example of the media headlines the group found objectionable includes: “Wife jibes about penis size and lesbian tryst ‘drove hubby to murder’,” and “Husband killed his wife after she mocked the size of his penis”. Photos of Melanie Clark in her underwear were also published.
ASSESSMENT
The group’s desires were discussed by The Eye of Media.Com’s think tank group today. The think tank group comprising 7 women and 4 men almost unanimously agreed that the recommendations are generally positive, but also embody glaring shortcomings. There were only 2 people who who initially lent the full weight of their support to the feminist group, but one of them eventually backtracked after discussions on the topic were exhausted.
Women deserve protection from male dominance and domestic abuse. All reasonable people would subscribe to the call to fight for greater gender equality and to safeguard the reasonable interests of women. That said, accounts of domestic violence, particularly those that culminate in murder, deserve a full report. Emphasis of culpability must always lie squarely with the culprit, but to withhold key facts that preceded a murder would be tantamount to incompetent reporting. It would be shortchanging the public of their right to full information.
The publication of Ms Clark in an underwear is something that calls for some redress. However, if she mocked the size of her husband’s penis and it led to her murder, it was right for the press to put this information in the public domain. There is never an excuse for murder. Media reference to the causative elements of a murder does not mitigate or undermine the seriousness of a violent crime. Neither does it play down the culpability of the criminal perpetrator.
Provided the media does not excuse the criminal act of a monster, there would be no logical grounds for objection of factual reporting. One useful point raised by a female contributor of our group was that there must have been other factors in the history of the relationship that drove Melanie to ridicule the size of mr.Clarke’s penis. We say that any known background factors that may have precipitated Melanie to ridicule the size of Clarke’s penis could have been included in journalist reports about the murder. The media is not perfect and will continue to evolve through suggestions and discussions; we all live and learn.
What we must not do is unjustifiably censor the media, and compromise the civil liberty of free expression enshrined in the Human Rights Act. Domestic violence is a reprehensible evil in our world that calls for a multifaceted approach in confronting this cancer.
Some of our team believe it is of paramount importance for women to be aware that many men, including their partners, suffer from raging jealousy. This can sometimes be compounded by mental health issues, unknown to the woman. This in no way endorses the callous acts of unscrupulous men, neither does it serve to undermine the dignity of women who suffer in the hands of psychotic men.
Jailed Psycho: David Clarke Picture: West Mercia Police
The Eye Of Media.Com has decided to conduct a sampled research with members of the public on the idea proposed by Level Up in the coming week. This publication does not wish to discourage Level Up from continuing campaigns to fight for women’s rights, but in trying to do right, we must not fall in the trap of doing wrong. The feminist group make a good point in their request for terminologies like tragic to be substituted for domestic violence.
Domestic Victim: Melanie Clarke Picture: Facebook
Respect for the dignity of the dead woman and their surviving members is also a useful recommendation, like many others they make. The one major flaw of their request is ti discourage full and factual reporting. That element cannot be compromised. The four w’s, what, where, when, and why, must always be told. Ipso are doing a good job of upholding legitimate complaints against the press and urging members of the media to rectify any misjudgments highlighted in their reporting.
Our objections about the plans of Level Up have been presented to Ipso by The Eye Of Media.Com, which they will be taking into account when they meet with the feminist group very soon. The Eye Of Media.Com thank those trusted extra eyes and sources of ours who brought this story to our attention for useful appraisal. Keep up the good work.
A spokesperson from Ipso told The Eye Of Media.Com:
”We welcome initiatives by groups concerned about the reporting of particular issues. We have recently worked with a number of organisations in this field and will shortly be publishing guidance for journalists and editors reporting on sexual offences. We are delighted to meeting with Level Up to discuss this issue further”.
Level Up was contacted for comment, but we had not received a response at the time this article was sent for publication.