As the country prepared to go into lockdown on March 22, Bolton schoolgirl Emily was riding her scooter with her parents in park. As she passed a bench, a woman grabbed the youngster and slit her throat as her parents helplessly looked on in horror.

The woman was arrested at the scene and I remember the breaking news headlines flashing up as the Prime Minister prepared to give his lockdown address from the Downing Street podium. From that moment, the world and the media were gripped by the unfolding coronavirus pandemic.

Emily’s death was reported, both in the Bolton and Manchester titles, but was overshadowed by the worsening epidemic.

The media seems to have become the common enemy and is dismissed as fake news whenever it suits. After a number of high-profile scandals, it is easy to see why this can be the case. But, unlike fake sheiks, phone hacking and sleaze, the good work of the media and, in particular, the local press, often goes unnoticed and shouldn’t be tarred with the same brush as the national tabloids.

As various short hearings were held this year, former colleagues at The Bolton News faced unjustified criticism and even abuse for not naming Emily’s killer and telling the full story.

When someone appears in court in connection with any crime, especially one a serious as this, there is very little that can be reported. The law allows only undisputed, factual details to be published – the defendant’s name, age, address, charges, and the venue and outcome of the hearing – essentially nothing that will be given in evidence as a motive or defence. When a case gets to trial, only what is said in front of the jury can be reported, until the verdict and any sentencing.

Ignoring these rules not only lands reporters and editors in serious trouble with the courts, it can also jeopardise trials and lead to defendants walking free.

Earlier this month, Eltiona Skana went on trial charged with Emily’s murder. Skana denied murder but admitted manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. The prosecution withdrew the murder charge after hearing psychiatric evidence during the harrowing trial and she has been sentenced to life in prison/psychiatric hospital, with a minimum of eight years.

Now, The Bolton News and the Manchester Evening News have been singled out for praise for their sensitive coverage of the tragic case. Prominent legal expert and author The Secret Barrister said: “I spend a lot of time (and a book or two) criticising poor reporting of legal stories and court cases. The reporting of this difficult and complex case by the Bolton News and Manchester Evening News has been exemplary. Detailed, accurate and fair.”

This is what local media is all about – inform, educate and entertain – telling people what is happening and how it affects them.

It is easy to roll out the fake news label if you are unhappy with a headline or the tone of a story. Usually, there is nothing wrong with an article, it is just that someone doesn’t like something in it. When people complain to newspapers, it is often the sledgehammer-to-crack-a-nut approach. It starts with claims it's all wrong, it’s all lies, they’ve made it up . . .

The complaints that stick in the mind usually involve court cases. The person complaining – often a friend or family member of the defendant – says it’s lies, it’s all wrong, we’ve made it up . . . and that they are the most loving, trustworthy, decent, honourable person they know. Yes, they stole thousands from a company, forcing it to go under with the loss of jobs, but the boss was horrible, or whatever, and we were disgusting for running the story and ruining that person’s life. 

It makes me think some people are more afraid of the publicity than any court sentence. I vividly remember being approached last thing on a Friday evening at Swindon Crown Court by a chef who had been stealing thousands from a restaurant. He was passive throughout the whole case, but had to be restrained by his solicitor when he realised the case would appear in the paper and screamed at me that his life would be over if I printed it.

When the report was published, several of his friends and customers complained that the article was all lies, it was all wrong, I had made it up, the boss was horrible, etc.

I know most of the reporters and editors involved in covering the Emily Jones case and all of them do what they do to help the communities they serve. Unlike bigger media companies, they are in and are part of the towns and cities they serve. They don’t spend months trying to conjure up a Princess Diana-style interview. They are honest, reasonable and approachable, and through their work covering this tragic case, they are a credit to the profession.

So, hats off again to The Bolton News and Manchester Evening News for playing it straight and letting a tragic story tell itself, without going for the sensational and heaping further heartache on Emily’s family and friends.

#media #courtreporting #journalism #theboltonnews #manchestereveningnews