Media failing

The UK media makes much of the risk posed by various communications to children: from the threat of mimicking violence seen in computer games, to adverts for obesity-inducing junk food, and magazines that cause girls to obsess over appearance.

There is rather less discussion about the propriety of newspapers in securing exclusive access to high-profile non-celebrity individuals such as the McCann family and, most recently, Kenny Richey (the Scottish man just released after 21 years on death row in the US).

Given the public interest in his case there was a predictable media scrum. Ultimately, the Mail on Sunday and Sunday People won, paying a reputed £40,000 for access. As the Guardian reported Richey's supporters feared that the last thing he needed after his ordeal was to be man-handled by a tabloid newspaper:

"Supporters of Richey have complained privately at the tight control over his return to the UK by the Mail on Sunday, which had staff at his side on the flight home, and by the family's media adviser, Max Clifford. Justice campaigners said they believed Richey was being badly advised and would face disastrous psychological problems unless he immediately received expert counselling."

Now, predictably, he is suffering. Reports say that he is struggling to re-adjust to life outside prison, and has considered suicide since his release. Of course, it is possible that even with the finest counselling he would have struggled. But in arguing that they are serving Richey's financial needs by paying for exclusive rights to his story, the Mail on Sunday and Sunday People use a self-serving justification (presumably they planned to recoup the fee through increased sales?), and ignore that their close involvement may be contributing to his downfall.

There has to be a question whether a self-regulating press is capable of making the right decisions where they must balance the financial incentives offered by a story the public is keen to hear, against the best interests of the story's subject.