Gavin, I find it really hard to agree with that. Banning a national news organisation from a press conference regarding a high-profile, on-going police investigation, cannot be in anybody’s interests. I didn’t catch last night’s NAT report, so cannot really comment on the merits of the ‘expert’ used, nor the tone of the coverage, but according to the ITN press release quoted in The Guardian, Avon & Somerset Police were contacted for their response before the piece went to air, but apparently declined to do so.
http://www.itv.com/news/fullprogramme/?intcmp=NAV_NEWS5_FULLPROG4
Watch from 5'30" and then say what you think. It was pretty much this chap suggesting a complete dereliction of duty by the force with regard to the entire investigation.
Now, I don't know enough about any of the case to say either way - and even if I did it would be wrong to start bandying comments round; but to take a few "objections" this expert had in turn:
The police said there was "no sexual assault" but that there "might have been a sexual motive". The expert claims this is means they have "no idea" one way or another and are sending "mixed messages" to the public.
Well that's nonsense. An attempted or bungled rape doesn't necessarily result in a sexual assault, does it? But it may end up in the strangulation of the young woman.
He suggested that there was a failure in the force for not stopping passing drivers, but acknowledged that he didn't know if this had happened or not.
There's two things right there that were misleading and, well, hysterical. Didn't add anything to the newsgathering of the story, and in fact it seemed Gerraint's report was padded out with comment and guesswork for the sake of it.
If the police inspector feels that his squad and their work is being misrepresented, then he is within his rights to exclude such reporters from a conference. It doesn't mean they cant relay the material, just that he doesn't want them in his eyeline.
I don't think this is "dangerous", or does it "set a precedent".
Quite honestly if it makes ITV consider more carefully the kind of rent-a-quotes they put to air then I think that's not a bad thing to come out of it.
Most of you who have known me for years will know I am a champion of free speech - but that doesn't extend to airing invention by pseudo experts to make your p-poor news programme gain higher ratings.