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Sky News report on McCann ‘troll’ prompts complaints to Ofcom | |
(about 14 hours later) | |
The regulator Ofcom has received 60 complaints about Sky News’ report about the woman alleged to have tweeted abusive messages about the McCann family. | The regulator Ofcom has received 60 complaints about Sky News’ report about the woman alleged to have tweeted abusive messages about the McCann family. |
Brenda Leyland was found dead in a hotel room days after she appeared on Sky News as part of an investigation into internet “trolling” of the McCanns. | Brenda Leyland was found dead in a hotel room days after she appeared on Sky News as part of an investigation into internet “trolling” of the McCanns. |
She was not named by the Sky News report but was interviewed by reporter Martin Brunt as someone who “uses Twitter to attack the parents of Madeleine McCann”. | She was not named by the Sky News report but was interviewed by reporter Martin Brunt as someone who “uses Twitter to attack the parents of Madeleine McCann”. |
Brunt and his team took precautions such as not naming the village where Leyland lived and Brunt referred to her only by her Twitter name, @sweepyface. However, she was subsequently named in several newspaper reports. | Brunt and his team took precautions such as not naming the village where Leyland lived and Brunt referred to her only by her Twitter name, @sweepyface. However, she was subsequently named in several newspaper reports. |
Most of the complaints to Ofcom are understood to have been made in the last couple of days, rather than in the immediate aftermath of Brunt’s report on 2 October. | Most of the complaints to Ofcom are understood to have been made in the last couple of days, rather than in the immediate aftermath of Brunt’s report on 2 October. |
An Ofcom spokesman said: “It’s important to stress that we’ve not reached a view as to whether an investigation will take place.” | An Ofcom spokesman said: “It’s important to stress that we’ve not reached a view as to whether an investigation will take place.” |
Meanwhile on a Facebook page called Sack Martin Brunt, a petition has been launched calling on prime minister David Cameron to “launch a public inquiry” into what it claims is “trial by television” had gained 325 signatures. | Meanwhile on a Facebook page called Sack Martin Brunt, a petition has been launched calling on prime minister David Cameron to “launch a public inquiry” into what it claims is “trial by television” had gained 325 signatures. |
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