Media Headlines
I’ve been really frustrated by the headlines accompanying a news story in Bristol at the moment.
See BBC News and the Evening Post
This is what I wrote to the BBC (and something similar to the Post). Am I being too tetchy, or are they really defaming my profession?
I’m dismayed that the statement of ‘church volunteer’ in the headline of your article about Owen Baxter is not explained in the article.
Is it of relevance that Baxter was a church volunteer? It is possible that Baxter gained access to his victims by abusing his position of power as a volunteer. But your article does not comment on the relevance of his volunteer position to the offences. If it is of relevance, then perhaps reporting on the process by which power was misused might serve some purpose in protecting children in the future.
As it stands the addition of ‘church volunteer’ in your headline only serves to cast suspicion on a great force for good.
The church (of all shapes and sizes) employs more youth workers than any other organisation, supporting and accompanying young people who are portrayed negatively by the media in 75% of column inches. Please don’t undermine this good work with unexplained sensationalist headlines.
Yours in frustration!
David Jeanneret
a church Youth Worker
Filed under: Youth Work on February 9th, 2010
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/7190755/Paedophile-church-worker-who-boasted-about-his-abuse-online-jailed.html
David,
I’m afraid this seems to be almost endemic to people who work with youngsters particularly. Think of the groups aho are affected – Catholic Priests, schoolteachers, Scout masters. It is a shame and, of course it has had a governmental over-reaction in the form of the excessive checking of everyone who comes into contact with the young. I can almost see the day when Grandparents will be subject to “vetting”.
It is a reflection on the world we live in
Yup. That link is another example of the headline saying he’s a church worker but the article saying nothing of the sort.
It’s fairly obvious that it’s people who have positions of trust who will be able to abuse that trust, hence your list Martin. So regulation around the trusting relationships that are part of jobs/voluntary work seems to me a healthy management of risk. We’ve yet to see what the benefit:hassle ratio will be of the new vetting system.
The worrying thing for me is that St Matt’s seem to have responded to the concerns that were raised as well as could be expected and yet Baxter still managed to abuse. Additionaly, for each one person convicted there are nine others out there not being caught abusing.