Member-only story
In defence of UK Lancashire Police’s Nicola Bulley disclosure
Why MSM accusations of sexism and oversharing are short-sighted
TW: Missng persons, mental health, addiction. Not affiliated with Lancashire Police.
In the UK, a missing person’s case became an unhealthy obsession of public imagination — and led to endless mainstream media controversy.
However, it is the mainstream media (MSM) controversy itself, and not the disclosure, which — until a discovery this weekend (tw) — was chronically putting the missing person and her family at risk.
However the media and even select MPs have chosen to blame the hard working police officers doing the actual police work.
“Disclosure is not equivocal to discrimination… the police have been failed by the media.”
The worst part is, the mainstream media are not pausing in their relentless pursuit of clicks.
News outlets have been prolific in their framing and reframing of the story. While comms from Lancashire Police were destined to change and adapt, reportage utilised the release of new information as clickbait, for headline-testing and unnecessary attempts at creating leading questions with ambiguous phrases and order of narrative.
Police and public failed by the press, not the police
Rather than fulfilling their public-interest role in this matter as a neutral arbiter of outreach, information and support — the British press played true to type and openly invited a missing person’s case to become entertainment, rather than news.
For people who suffer with alcohol dependency, menopause and mental health conditions, the last fortnight has been particularly tough, requiring an opt-out mindset to avoid coverage and commentary and prevent potential psychological damage.
Disclosure is not equivocal to discrimination, even if the opinion of an MP tries to present that idea as fact.
