UK media bosses are toasting a 'huge victory' for press freedom after police chiefs ruled that people charged with a crime do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy.
It means that suspects charged with crimes will continue to be routinely named by newspapers and broadcasters up and down the country, including the Manchester Evening News.
Proposed changes to the College of Policing’s guidance for reporting crime were set to say cops in England and Wales no longer “should” name those charged with crimes including indecent exposure, domestic violence or child sexual abuse, instead advising that individuals “can be named”.
However, the decision has now been U-turned - a move The Society of Editors has welcomed. READ MORE: 'Heartbreak' after gay adult store is attacked and has windows smashed in “An open, transparent and professional working relationship between the police service and the media is essential to public trust," Chief Constable Andy Marsh, College of Policing CEO, said on Friday (March 24). “Our guidance to police forces is clear that at the point an individual is charged with a crime, there should be no reasonable expectation of privacy.
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk