Press Council upholds complaint of violent offender against Le Matin Dimanche
A violent offender and five accomplices seriously injured two men in Geneva. And subsequently saw his privacy violated by Le Matin Dimanche. The Press Council upheld the complaint.
Published in July 2017 Le Matin Dimanche an article about an attack by six young men on two thirty-year-olds in a Geneva neighborhood. The two victims were seriously injured. The article portrays the alleged perpetrators. It is illustrated by photos of four of them, their faces partially obscured by black bars.
One of the alleged aggressors appealed to the Press Council. He claimed that the article made him identifiable as the journalist had revealed many details about him: his origin, his age, his studies, his height, the sport he plays, his place of residence, his family, his friendship ties and his nickname.
The Press Council dealt with the question of whether Le Matin Dimanche the publication of this information made the complainant recognizable to "third parties outside the family, social or professional environment" (Guideline 7.2). For the Press Council, aspects that are not very relevant and whose cumulation could facilitate identification should not be disclosed. This broadens too much the circle of those to whom Directive 7.2 refers. The Press Council came to the conclusion that Le Matin Dimanche facilitated the identification of the complainant by accumulating details (which are not essential for understanding the story and therefore not covered by an overriding public interest).
Even if the alleged perpetrator is accused of a serious offense, he and his family have the right to the protection of their privacy. The Press Council upholds the complaint on this point. However, it notes that the presumption of innocence was respected, as were paragraphs 2 (separation of facts and commentary) and 8 (human dignity) of the Journalists' Code.
