The difference between ‘the public interest’ and ‘what the public are interested in’ is salient here. CPS act in the ‘public interest’ and make their decisions based on legal processes, the severity of the alleged crime and the evidence or not. Whether or not someone wishes to drop charges or whether or not the person is a celebrity is neither here nor there — ‘public interest’ is determined by the severity of the alleged crime and likelihood of conviction.
That is different from the public being interested in it. This case, suited the agenda of both male-right’s activists (look women do violence too) and feminists (she’s being held accountable /dealt with unjustly whilst men get away with it). Caroline Flack became someone who the public were interested in and her life the subject of intense scrutiny. The psychological pressure of this must’ve been immense.
This was essentially a private matter between two people that was aired in public beyond the control of the people involved. Domestic violence happens up and down the country with both sexes as perpetrators and victims. Interpersonal relationships between people are complicated, human psychology is complicated, if you don’t have access to all the information (ie you’re not involved) the best course of action is to remain silent. You may wish to air your generalised opinion, this happens all the time — but to specifically involve yourself based on a prima facie reading of a situation is stupid and irresponsible.
Whilst everyone evokes the right to free speech, it needs to be carefully balanced with the responsibility of saying intelligent things and there must be a duty of care. We are no longer living in a world where yesterday’s newspaper’s written by a handful of people become today’s chip papers. We are living in a world where everyone with access to the internet is a journalist and everything they write remains in perpetuity.
If it were up to me (and it’s not) I would be looking at the legal routes to clarify what makes something newsworthy and available for comment. This private matter between her and her partner should never have been in the public arena in the first place. Such a tragic ending and so utterly pointless. I do hope that the courts look at this (and similar cases) and begin to find culpability for irresponsible broadcasting in whatever media, whether print, television or Twitter.
