This article was migrated from an old version of our website in 2025. As a result, it might have some low-quality images or non-functioning links - if there's any issues you'd like to see fixed, get in touch with us at info@journalism.co.uk.

The Press Complaints Commission has upheld a complaint against two Scottish newspapers which printed a photo of a schoolgirl without her parents consent.

The Wishaw Press and Hamilton advertiser were ruled to have breached Clause 6 of the editors' code of practice, which covers stories involving children, when they named and printed an image of the 13-year-old.

The article reported that Lanarkshire Council was paying £27,000 over three years for the girl, who is granddaughter of the Scottish member of parliament for Motherwell and Wishaw, to take taxis to and from dance classes in Glasgow.

The image published by the newspapers had been taken when her grandfather, John Pentland MSP, was elected to the Scottish parliament. Trinity Mirror , which publishes the newspapers, said the stories were in the public interest and argued that the photo of the girl was in the public domain and her father had commented in the story, leading them to believe that it would not be a problem to publish the photo.

The PCC acknowledged the public interest in the story but found that "this could have been served without the identity of the child being highlighted".

Share with a colleague

Written by
Joel Gunter

Comments