Not a day goes by at the moment without hearing about a new arrest in operation Yewtree. The fact #RolfHarris is now trending on Twitter means my timeline is a hotbed of speculation, jokes, and condemnation. It makes me so angry.
In this country, our justice system prevails on the principle of presumption of innocence - it’s the bedrock of any civilised society and there to protect us all. Yet the presumption of innocence extends beyond the judicial system. Journalistic codes of ethics state that journalists should refrain from referring to suspects as though their guilt is certain.
Although this means the press are mindful of the language used in their reporting (think “suspect”, “defendant” or “alleged”) they stoke the fire of opinion. Merely offering up a name in the same breath as ‘child abuse’ leads to trial by social media. The story carries like wildfire and is distorted beyond recognition. There’s already 7 pages of jokes on Sickipedia.
It seems moral censorship carries no currency in this society anymore. The person in question becomes a hate figure - vilified and ridiculed. There’s little to no consideration that the accusation might not stand up in court, or worse still be a hoax. Nope. We’re ready to rip their life apart and castrate them based upon the the scantiest evidence or detail. Even acquittal won’t put an end to it - our world-wide web won’t miraculously be cleansed of hate. If your child googles Rolf Harris for a school art project - all the grisly details will still be there for them to see.
I’m not saying the Rolf saga has no basis in fact - I’m just suspending judgement. As a mother, the Savile atrocities sicken me and it’s truly awful to think about just one person committing such vile and deplorable acts to innocent children. But with so many entertainers of the era being casually tossed into the frame (all conveniently searchable under the ‘Yewtree’ banner) there’s a culture of fear being carefully cultivated. One which, in today’s technological age, can’t ever be undone. Let us not forget that no actual charges have been brought against anyone so far.
I’m all for giving victims a voice and prosecuting to the full extent of the law when guilt has been proven - but it’s truly frightening when we consider that maybe, just maybe, even one of the accused might be innocent. That to me is just about as terrifying a criminal act as I can imagine.
