Schoolgirl's mother urges law change to sue media for defaming dead

**bb1** Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:12 pm

http://news.stv.tv/politics/222507-margaret-watson-wants-to-be-able-to-sue-newspapers-for-defaming-the-dead/

Schoolgirl's mother urges law change to sue media for defaming dead
STV 23 April 2013 07:50 BST

The mother of a schoolgirl who was stabbed to death after a playground row is to ask the Scottish Government to change the law so families can take legal action if journalists print false information.

Margaret and James Watson believe negative newspaper reporting about their daughter Diane led to their teenage son Alan committing suicide.

Sixteen-year-old Diane was stabbed to death by fellow pupil Barbara Glover after a playground argument in their Glasgow school in 1991.

Mrs Watson told the Leveson Inquiry into press standards that libel laws should be changed so journalists could be sued for defaming the dead.

On Tuesday, Mrs Watson will make her case to MSPs on Holyrood's Education and Culture Committee who are now examining the issue of press regulation.

In a written submission to the committee, she argued: "It is incumbent on the Scottish Government to use this unique opportunity to ensure that families of innocent murdered victims are given access to legal redress when egregious information is disseminated in the mass media about truly innocent murdered victims."

Mrs Watson said that while journalists had a "duty to inform the public when a violent crime has taken place", her concern was that "unethical" journalists may have "no hesitation in abusing their position of power and influence to disseminate false information about murdered victims".

She added: "Unscrupulous journalists know they can publish egregious information about murdered victims in the full knowledge that families of murdered victims have no legal standing to formally challenge egregious publications on behalf of their deceased loved one."

Mrs Watson backed Lord McCLuskey's report into press regulation, which suggested the Scottish media should be subject to mandatory regulation, underpinned by law, even if the press in the rest of the UK is not.

But she said she was "deeply disappointed that Lord McCluskey's report made no mention or recommendations on defamation of the deceased".

Mrs Watson added: "It seems to us that Lord Leveson and Lord McCluskey have ignored the clear injustice that exists under the existing Scottish defamation legislation."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "The Scottish Government is currently considering our approach to the Leveson recommendations as part of a cross party process.

"This has included discussions with the UK Government on how any royal charter could reflect Scotland's interests.

"With the agreement of the other party leaders we have raised with the UK Government the question of whether the minimum requirements set out in the charter for a recognised Regulatory Body's Standards Code could include reference to ensuring appropriate respect in dealing with those who are recently deceased, where the only public interest in them is because of the circumstances of their death, and their near relations.

"This was an issue on which James and Margaret Watson gave moving evidence to the Leveson Inquiry."