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When is private information in the public interest?

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31 March 2023 / Jeremy Clarke-Williams , Sophie Taraniuk
Issue: 8019 / Categories: Opinion , Public , Defamation , Privacy
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Is there any recourse for families at the centre of a media storm? Jeremy Clarke-Williams & Sophie Taraniuk assess whether the discourse surrounding the disappearance of Nicola Bulley crossed the line

Certain cases capture the public’s attention and generate an extraordinary volume of reportage, scrutiny, comment and speculation.

On 27 January 2023, Nicola Bulley’s disappearance quickly became the subject of very widespread and intense media coverage. How intense? Well, Private Eye (No 1593) reports that by 21 February 2023, the Daily Mirror had run 232 pieces about the matter while The Sun had published 175 articles, and MailOnline 328 (that works out at more than 13 a day).

Inevitably, this led to viral coverage on social media. The unusual and mysterious circumstances of Ms Bulley’s disappearance, coupled with the apparent lack of progress in finding her, led to widespread speculation and a number of self-styled ‘social media detectives’ even taking it upon themselves to visit the location. In due course this potent mixture

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