Bus accident in Valais: lawsuits settled amicably
Following the bus accident in Siders, in which 22 Belgian schoolchildren lost their lives, parents had filed lawsuits against Belgian media outlets over the publication of photos. These cases have now been settled out of court, according to the Flemish Press Council.
The accused editors-in-chief apologized to the relatives, it was reported on Wednesday. They had spoken to the families of the children and understood that the publication of the photos of the victims without prior consultation with the relatives had caused the families additional pain, they said.
According to the press release, the journalists promised to comply with the recommendations of the Press Council from last April wherever possible. The committee had recommended exercising the utmost restraint when using images published on the internet and on social networks.
Last March 13, 28 people were killed in a serious car accident near Sierre, including 22 children from the Belgian towns of Lommel and Heverlee. After the accident, the Belgian newspapers Het Laatste Nieuws and Het Nieuwsblad were heavily criticized for publishing pictures of the victims on the front page. They had taken the photos from a blog that the children had kept during their skiing vacation in Switzerland. (SDA/BLG)
