black
43 Posts
Member Since
16/04/2009 02:30:32
POST DATE
21/04/2009 13:46:41 |
Hi Billy, I look on this site daily as i am sure other's do! I would like to say the section you have added about the media is very true and am glad its been highlighted how damaging articles can be to the family of those wrongly accused as well as the wrongly accused person. The truth is so important !
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All good things come to those that wait!
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admin
Member's Home Page
449 Posts
Member Since
08/04/2009 08:00:00
POST DATE
21/04/2009 13:59:31 |
Thank you Black,
I think it is also worth noting that the victom suffers as a consequence of media reporting as well in many ways and prolongs the process of coming to terms with an incident or crime.
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jane2452
89 Posts
Member Since
16/04/2009 02:42:47
POST DATE
22/04/2009 10:11:12 |
Hi Billy
I've read your peice on the media and your quite right on many points. I've just been reading the P & J though and wonder if you consider that today the media may actually be serving you well. I'd also like to say that as a keen follower of this case I noticed that the P & J always read to be a less slandarous story-maybe they're not all the same.
Also, wonder how you propose to tell who is really being done a misjustice if you only hear one side of the story-while I realise many people are victims in our justice system some people do awful things, would you really want to be helping them.
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Live and let live
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admin
Member's Home Page
449 Posts
Member Since
08/04/2009 08:00:00
POST DATE
22/04/2009 12:47:00 |
Hi Billy
I've read your piece on the media and your quite right on many points. I've just been reading the P & J though and wonder if you consider that today the media may actually be serving you well. I'd also like to say that as a keen follower of this case I noticed that the P & J always read to be a less slanderous story-maybe they're not all the same.
Also, wonder how you propose to tell who is really being done a misjustice if you only hear one side of the story-while I realise many people are victims in our justice system some people do awful things, would you really want to be helping them.
Thank you jane 2452,
Firstly regarding the media you are quite right, there have been some more balanced articles on the P&J's coverage and the recent report on the Shetland News online site which in my opinion deserve a responsible reporting of the month award. I am considering placing links to both sites to that effect with their permission on the site's main page and think that an acknowledgement of good reporting may encourage more of the media to behave likewise.
The second issue you raise is of great importance also. It is of the utmost importance to the site's credibility that we support only those who deserve our support and not those who have as a result of their own actions been rightly punished. This is one of the reasons that legal input on the site is so valuable in achieving it's aim providing a realistic way of knowing where to channel the site's efforts most effectively to those who truly need it.
However it is a complicated decision to make in some cases. From a legal point of view those who are accused but untried are easiest to deal with, innocent until proven guilty is what the law rightly states so for those who have yet to face court it is a simple choice. For them and their families our support in finding the best legal representation and advice in how best to cope and help ensure they receive a fair trial so they do not become part of the second group we have to make a choice about later.
By the second group of course I refer to those who have been convicted but they or their families feel have not been proven guilty and subsequently become a casualty of the justice system rather than a justly tried criminal. My intentions regarding this, and feel free to offer alternative suggestions since it is an important issue, is that upon first contact the site should revert back to the laws position when the allegation was first made. To be of any benefit we must assume innocence while we assess their claim of wrongful conviction, if we doubt each one at first we can't realistically be objectively helpful. That position should be upheld until such a time as the facts uncovered relating to a particular case we are presented with show either unequivocal guilt or an acquittal is achieved. Largely this will depend on how legal professionals interpreted issues which detect flaws in their prosecution resulting in an unfair trial, or information which has since come to light.
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jane2452
89 Posts
Member Since
16/04/2009 02:42:47
POST DATE
03/05/2009 09:52:51 |
I feel the need to air my disappointment at this weeks local rag in regards to publicising medical care. I realise this may not be in line with wrongly accused persons but I do feel it's a chance of a juicy story but to the publics discomfort. Its awful what that poor girl has gone through it really is but you won't hear of the hundreds having life changing operations with a good outcome.
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Live and let live
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black
43 Posts
Member Since
16/04/2009 02:30:32
POST DATE
04/05/2009 10:28:38 |
Hi jane2452, i am not sure as to what local rag you are refering to, but you are right highlighting that there are many medical cases that have a good outcome and are rarely made public.
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All good things come to those that wait!
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admin
Member's Home Page
449 Posts
Member Since
08/04/2009 08:00:00
POST DATE
04/05/2009 18:06:00 |
At first glance the last two posts appear out with the site's topic, but I think within this particular thread they are highly relevant in two regards. Clearly there is a link with the media and the type of reports they produce without a thought for families or other members of the public in general. However it also highlights just how easily things which may indeed be factual are presented out of context and in turn portray a picture obtusely different to that of reality.
Like black I have no idea what jane's "local rag" is, all I can say is that I like many I know have stopped buying our one and wouldn't dirty a hamsters cage with it to be honest. The point though is that it takes so little to make an allegation that affects the lives of so many, and so much to put right the damage that is done when the truth is finally revealed.
I too think the medical profession do an outstanding job and receive little appreciation for it, nor with the exception perhaps of office staff are payed highly enough for the benefits we all get them.
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jane2452
89 Posts
Member Since
16/04/2009 02:42:47
POST DATE
04/05/2009 20:10:07 |
I know and I'm sorry for ranting on-I later realised it was probably an inapropriate place for it, but the media just really annoy me-especially lately and writing unexcusable things about very sensitive subjects, it would be wrong to name them on a forum but these are real people with real feelings and lives to get on with-they just don't seem to care, anyway sorry I'll stick to the subject in future.
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Live and let live
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admin
Member's Home Page
449 Posts
Member Since
08/04/2009 08:00:00
POST DATE
04/05/2009 20:41:06 |
Don't worry at all, like I said in terms of how it affects innocent people and their families your point is very fitting with the topic. There is no need for the police, or a court to be involved before an allegation makes someone/people wrongly accused person(s). The effect is the same, damage!
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Justice 4 Brendan
Member's Home Page
184 Posts
Member Since
20/04/2009 14:31:53
POST DATE
04/05/2009 21:24:30 |
Don't worry at all, like I said in terms of how it affects innocent people and their families your point is very fitting with the topic. There is no need for the police, or a court to be involved before an allegation makes someone/people wrongly accused person(s). The effect is the same, damage!
That is true, to an extent.
The media we have dealt with have been supportive but as it still has appeal have backed away from what they can write, or how to deal with it.
When Brendan got charged, every bit of faith was placed on the justice system because there was no case to answer with Brendan or Patrick Docherty.
But as the trial went on you could see how a court can come away with magic and can use people as Scapegoats to get the conviction needed.
"I would love to explain what i mean by that but things are in the hands of the lawyers regarding conduct at trial, and the advantage the crown gained in the case."
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"I hear much of people calling to punish the guilty, but few are concerned to clear the innocent" Daniel Defoe 1661-1731
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FEATURED BOOK: Sandra Lean's 'No smoke, The Shocking Truth About The British Justice System'(To see all 15 5-star reveiws check 'No Smoke' as well as the full title, it is listed under both.)
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