Police ban ITV News from Press Conference.

The Halk said:
Then after the investigation the police complaints should investigate and determine if that is the case.

You are saying that the police should not be trusted to do their job properly.

There is a proper way to investigate and remedy that, and it is not in the middle of a murder investigation. Part of the investigation is to determine how much information is released and to whom is it released. The police should be completely free to do so, in the knowledge that after the matter it can be investigated and remedied if wrong.
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Their job is to investigate crime and uphold the Law, if within an investigation a press conference is held to inform the Public of the investigation then ALL legitimate News agencies should be allowed to attend, it is not in the Police's purview to decide who is or is not a legitimate News agency.

Censorship and segregation of a free press is NOT in the Police's purview, neither should it be.
 
The Halk said:
Then after the investigation the police complaints should investigate and determine if that is the case.

You are saying that the police should not be trusted to do their job properly.

There is a proper way to investigate and remedy that, and it is not in the middle of a murder investigation. Part of the investigation is to determine how much information is released and to whom is it released. The police should be completely free to do so, in the knowledge that after the matter it can be investigated and remedied if wrong.
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I'm saying we have to trust them as we have no choice, but that they don't do everything selflessly (such as ban some of the press from a conference) like any other organisation. Them banning ITV was not some moral grandstanding in the name of finding this girl's killer, it was anger and arse-covering, nothing more.
 
Can't we ban ITV News from the TV...that would be better for all. :D

However being serious it was a silly move by the Police. Press should not be banned from press conferences especially if it is for such spurious reasons.
 
Castiel said:
Their job is to investigate crime and uphold the Law, if within an investigation a press conference is held to inform the Public of the investigation then ALL legitimate News agencies should be allowed to attend, it is not in the Police's purview to decide who is or is not a legitimate News agency.

Censorship and segregation of a free press is NOT in the Police's purview, neither should it be.
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No.

The press conference when an investigation is ongoing should be done by the police only to pursue the interests of the investigation itself.

Free speech, censorship, segregation of the free press are not in any way a concern.

If the police banned everybody apart from Angling Weekly from the press conference then I'd expect them to have a very good reason and afterwards explain what it was or face censure.
 
Castiel said:
Which is why the Police should not be able to cherry pick 'friendly' news agencies and exclude critical ones.

This is not Soviet Russia.
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They certainly should be able to pick friendly news agencies and only friendly news agencies.

All that matters is getting information to and from the public that would further the case.

The police decide what information to release. They decide who to give it to.

If that's not ITV because they feel ITV are harming their investigation then so be it. The time to answer questions is after the investigation.
 
The Halk said:
No.

The press conference when an investigation is ongoing should be done by the police only to pursue the interests of the investigation itself.

Free speech, censorship, segregation of the free press are not in any way a concern.

If the police banned everybody apart from Angling Weekly from the press conference then I'd expect them to have a very good reason and afterwards explain what it was or face censure.
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No, that is missing the point.

Press Conferences are exactly that, to release information to the Press for the Public.

They, as a public body should have no influence on who or how the public choose to receive that information. There are legitimate routes that anyone including the Police can take to censure anyone who misreports unfairly an investigation.

To allow the Police to decide how and what we hear is tantamount to state control of the Press.

They decide what information is pertinent and at what time it is best to release it, they should not decide who hears it and by whom it is reported.
 
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Robbie G said:
What then if the police genuinely were hampering their own investigation with ineptitude? Who would uncover it with the aim of improving the system?
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Also, how long before they only release information to a Police sponsored news agency?

State controlled press anyone?
 
Robbie G said:
Do you not ask yourself why they only give out certain info? It's to protect their own arses more than it is to protect the investigation.

E.g.

'We cannot rule this out' - translation, they haven't got the foggiest.

'We cannot disclose this at this time' - translation, they don't want to because it'll make them look like buffoons.
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It might also be that they may have information that only they and the killer would know. To release information like that to the media would compicate interviews with future suspects. You would be amazed at how often a suspect will say something in interview that they could only know if they were responsible for the crime.
 
Castiel said:
No, that is missing the point.

Press Conferences are exactly that, to release information to the Press for the Public.
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Right.

Castiel said:
They, as a public body should have no influence on who or how the public choose to receive that information.
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No. You're putting solving crime above transparency. There's time for transparency afterwards. Edit : That should have course read transparency above solving crime!

Castiel said:
There are legitimate routes that anyone including the Police can take to censure anyone who misreports unfairly an investigation.
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What routes, can you provide examples of it being done?

Castiel said:
To allow the Police to decide how and what we hear is tantamount to state control of the Press.
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No it isn't, and that is utter stupidity. The police must be able to decide how and what we hear. It's essential.

Castiel said:
They decide what information is pertinent and at what time it is best to release it, they should not decide who hears it and by whom it is reported.
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Yes, they should. There's no reason to put that restriction on them.
 
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simulatorman said:
The police have no right to impose a ban on legitimate members of the press from attending a news conference because they don’t like some criticism. It’s not their job to suppress free reporting in this country, their job is to uphold the law and bugger all else. They’ve just shown themselves to be even more incompetent. Maybe the press should stay away from the conferences for a day or to and see how that helps with their investigation.
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Maybe you'd be happy if the police decided to stop doing news conferences full stop. This is in no way a freedom of the press issue, no-one is stopping ITV reporting whatever they want to, it's effectively the police saying if ITV are going to interfere in an active investigation, making our job more difficult in the hunt for ITV's ratings, then we aren't going to have a direct interface with them.
 
I don't see any problem at all with them acting in this way, as others have said if it's seen to be a problem that can be addressed afterwards. It's not the polices job to decide who should report on things, but I doubt ITV were hampered in getting information in any real way by not attending. It's equally not ITVs job to say how the police should be invesigating this or any case, if they think there's a problem then they can go through the appropriate channels as well.
 
scorza said:
Maybe you'd be happy if the police decided to stop doing news conferences full stop. This is in no way a freedom of the press issue, no-one is stopping ITV reporting whatever they want to, it's effectively the police saying if ITV are going to interfere in an active investigation, making our job more difficult in the hunt for ITV's ratings, then we aren't going to have a direct interface with them.
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ITV aren’t interfering with an investigation but the police are interfering with the operation of a free press. Their job is not to react to some perceived criticism but to get on with their jobs. They have no right in interfering with press freedom. But it appears that with no written constitution they are just trying it on.
 
simulatorman said:
ITV aren’t interfering with an investigation but the police are interfering with the operation of a free press.
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No. They are not interfering in the operation of a free press in any way shape or form. They can ban whoever they like from press conferences, they don't need to have press conferences, they can choose what information to give out at press conferences. It's up to them. Entirely.

The press can go ahead and report whatever they like, the police are not stopping them.

simulatorman said:
Their job is not to react to some perceived criticism but to get on with their jobs. They have no right in interfering with press freedom. But it appears that with no written constitution they are just trying it on.
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As I've said they are not interfering with press freedom. They are free though to exclude anyone they choose from press conferences, because it may be a part of their invstigation. If they are abusing such powers then the police complaints commission can investigate at an appropriate time.
 
The Halk said:
No. You're putting solving crime above transparency. There's time for transparency afterwards. Edit : That should have course read transparency above solving crime!
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hmm, the Police have already decide what is going to be in the Press conference, That is all they need be concerned with.

It is not up to them who reports it, only that the information is released.


The Halk said:
What routes, can you provide examples of it being done?
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OFCOM to begin with, The Press Complaints Agency secondly and the courts if they need to put a gag order on information likely to impede an investigation.

This is the correct procedures, not arbitrarily and summarily banning legitimate News Agencies from reporting on Public Press Conferences.


The Halk said:
No it isn't, and that is utter stupidity. The police must be able to decide how and what we hear. It's essential.
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Not when that information is only being released to cherry picked sources, and only with conditions attached. The release of information via press conferences should not have conditions attached concerning how the Press should refrain from being critical of the Police.


The Halk said:
Yes, they should. There's no reason to put that restriction on them.
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So it is ok to use information being released to the public by a public body to influence the press with regard to it's criticism of said public body?

What if the Govt decided that it would only release information to the BBC as long as it did not run any critical stories regarding the Govt....

That is what the Police has done, and you think thats ok....:confused:
 
The Halk said:
No. They are not interfering in the operation of a free press in any way shape or form. They can ban whoever they like from press conferences, they don't need to have press conferences, they can choose what information to give out at press conferences. It's up to them. Entirely.
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No it's not, the Police are not a private company, they are a public body and as such their press conferences should not be censured only to those Agencies that do not criticise them.
 
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