A man who unknowingly infected others with the Coronavirus (CoV) has been publicly identified by several sections of the UK media, including the BBC. His name is now trending on Twitter.

The man in question could not have known he had the virus at the time he came into contact with others.

Hacked Off Campaigns and Victim Liaison Rose Hayden commenting on the case said,

"Catching a disease could happen to any of us, yet an innocent member of the public who had the misfortune of coming into contact with the Coronavirus has been identified in accusatory articles in newspapers across the UK. Some newspapers are treating him more like a biological terrorist than a victim of this terrible illness. Media outlets have published details of his name, job, hometown and the hospital he responsibly checked himself into to help prevent the spread of the disease. Details relating to individuals’ health are personal and private. Noone should have to see their personal medical information splashed across national newspapers for friends, neighbours, colleagues and everyone else in their life to see. There is no public interest in identifying affected individuals by name, least of all those who have immediately checked themselves into hospitals. This coverage is invasive and unethical, and if IPSO were halfway a competent regulator it would act immediately to investigate this coverage with a view to delivering serious sanctions."

ENDS

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NOTES

Hacked Off is the campaign for a free and accountable press, and we work with the victims of press abuse to achieve those aims.