PCC censures Pick Me Up for payment to associate of criminal
Commission has upheld a complaint against the magazine over a first person account of a women who slept with a man on the night that he committed murder
– 1 min read
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The PCC has upheld a complaint against Pick Me Up magazine over a payment made to the associate of a criminal.
The complaint related to a first person account in the magazine of a women who had slept with a man on the night that he had committed murder.
The daughter of the victim complained to the PCC that the magazine had breached the Editors Code of Practice by paying the woman for the story, as she was an associate of a convicted criminal.
Clause 16 of the code states that: "Payment or offers of payment for stories, pictures or information, which seek to exploit a particular crime or to glorify or glamorise crime in general, must not be made directly or via agents to convicted or confessed criminals or to their associates – who may include family, friends and colleagues."
The complaint alleged the women and murderer were associates and shared the same friends. The magazine denied they were associates, claiming the women was simply a "passing aquaintance".
The commission ruled the sexual relationship meant the woman could "reasonably be described as an 'associate', while the fact that the focus of the article was entirely on the woman's association with the murderer meant that the story exploited the crime". Stephen Abell , director of the PCC, said: "Complaints under Clause 16 of the Editors' Code are relatively rare, so it is important that editors take note of this important ruling.
"The Code is rightly very strict in this area and – while freedom of expression does mean that newspapers and magazines can publish individuals' stories regardless of their involvement or association with crimes – the Code is very clear that payment must not be made to criminals or their associates for stories or information that exploit a particular crime, unless there is a public interest in doing so.
"This decision is a reminder to the industry to treat stories of this sort with particular care."
