BBCMisogyny tasered man, no mention of murdered woman victim

[Cherriesandapples]

Just this really... This morning the Today Radio 4 programme had a headline about a man been tasered by Gwent Police force and he had subsequently died and that the case had been referred to Police Complaints Commission. The 22 year old vulnerable woman that he had murdered who was living in a homeless shelter was barely mentioned! On Sky News just now they showed a picture of her, a beautiful young woman, also reported on independent Radio was the fact that the Police had arrived on the scene after the murder and that he was in an act of canabalism.

Why did the BBC yet again ignore the woman victim?

[LadySybilLikesCake]

They can't show a picture on the radio

I've just seen the article on the BBC news. Poor love They showed her picture and said that she was a 22 year old shop worker. Then there was a neighbour talking, then some info about the police woman who was first on the scene, then some info about him. They can only show so much within the timeframe. Maybe they knew more about him then they did about her when they did the headlines on the radio?

[YonicScrewdriver]

It's showing on BBC now as mentioning the woman, I think? Maybe they had to tell next of Kin first?

[YonicScrewdriver]

Oh sorry I missed this was an older case.

[LadySybilLikesCake]

Same one, Yonic. The Police Complaints are involved because he died after being tazered.

[Cherriesandapples]

Well if you listen to iplayer. They clearly knew a woman had been murdered but the emphasis was really in the awfulness if the police raise ring the murderer!

[Cherriesandapples]

Oh I give up with flipping phone but no this happened today didn't it? It's not an old case?

[BIWI]

All the news reports I heard today - travelling down the M1 - were either circumspectly vague, or reported both deaths.

But the point that they were making, in the detail of the report, was that the male had been tasered because he was not only the murderer, but also the cannibal. Surely, given the horrific nature of this crime, this would have been reported first? Why are you trying to make something 'feminist' about the reporting of this crime, when the really horrific nature of it is to to do with the man who was involved?

[LadySybilLikesCake]

It would be an older report, Cherries. Sometimes it takes time to gather information and if that's all they had to go on... They change the news reports as they gather more information.

[LadySybilLikesCake]

He was tazered because he was attacking her as the policewoman walked into the room. My guess is the policewoman did this to stop him and he died as a result of being tazered.

[YonicScrewdriver]

It looks like they released the woman's name sometime today, it's time stamped this afternoon on the bbc but dont know if that's right.

RIP Cerys Marie Yemm.

[Amethyst24]

I can see how a person dying as a result of action by a police officer is more of a headline story than a person dying during a sexually motivated assault.

Of course both are shocking, and I'd rather the second was as rare as the first.

And it was the killer who lived in a homeless hostel, not the victim.

[Childrenofthestones]

Good to see common sense being posted.
Sometimes seeing the world through a prism leads you down a wrong path.

[YonicScrewdriver]

Wow, stones.

[Amethyst24]

Actually, thinking about this some more, I'm happier with "Police kill person with taser during arrest" as a headline, in terms of how it reflects what we as a society should worry about, than I am with "Released prisoner in CANNIBAL ATTACK".

Other than insofar as it is another awful example of a woman being a victim of male violence, I don't think this case - or at any rate the reporting of it I have read - is problematic from a feminist point of view.

But I might well be wrong, and I'd love to read others' views, since I'm a noob to all this.

[AuntieStella]

All the reports I have seen today have been about the horrific nature of the crime and, after Cerys Yemm's name and photograph were released, she has been very much in the centre of the coverage.

Details of victims are not always released immediately, to allow time for key family members and friends to be told privately rather than find out from the news. And the peculiarly horrific nature of the attack has led to very limited information, and no-one (it seems) breaking ranks to provide information ahead of the official statements.

A further angle on this is the question of police conduct, and when the police kill someone that must also be examined. Information on that death was in the public domain rapidly. It's not clear when Cerys Yemm actually died, so it remains possible that the news sequence was simply following the sequence of events as they happened.

[LadySybilLikesCake]

There's an article in the independent saying she was still alive when the policewoman tazered him, AuntieStella. The article is fairly graphic I imagine some bits of the media are more sensitive than others, especially as her poor family could be reading/watching

I saw a short article in the Metro this morning (8am) which had very few details, no names IIRC.

[Amethyst24]

Actually, I can think of a feminist issue with the reporting of this. If Cerys Yemm had been older, black, less attractive, homeless or a prostitute, the story would have got fewer column inches and definitely photographs of her would have been less prominent.

So, while the BBC, the Guardian and the like are doing what I think is a pretty fair job, the DM and the tabloids will be murder-porning it up like mad, which is abhorrent.

[Zazzles007]

murder-porning

Urgh, horrid term, but so apt.

[onerepublic]

I sort of know what you mean, in that, I was woken by my radio alarm at 6:45 or 7AM yesterday by Moira Stuart saying "a man has died after being tasered in police custody. He is believed to have been in the process of attacking and eating a woman when the incident occurred."

Which kind of made me go, "what?? Man eats woman and the main story is that the police tasered him???"

But I think yesterday the media were just piecing stuff together and the police could probably confirm point A (that a man was tasered and died in police custody) but were not yet able to confirm point B (that the poor lady in question was being cannabalised).

Horribly gruesome story and my thoughts are with the family of the victim.

Can I just also say at this point, that while the victim's name may have been released I would put money that the likes of the Daily Mail have just lifted her photos straight off facebook - i.e. the family have probably not 'released' pictures per se

[LadySybilLikesCake]

Dunno about that, Amethyst. Remember the Ipswich murders?

[Amethyst24]

LadySybil Yes, I do, although it was a long time ago. But IIRC the narrative there was "SERIAL KILLER ON THE LOOSE" and there was a lot of othering of the victims.

[Amethyst24]

onerepublic The picture of the victim used in the Guardian specified that their image was taken with permission from a Facebook tribute pace set up by her friends. The Fail, maybe not so much.

[AuntieStella]

At least one photograph was officially released (ITV site credits it as Gwent police/family photo).

But yes, if you are caught up in a newsworthy event there will be elements ofthe press trying to find out everything they can. And what has been published online is an obvious place to look.

[messyisthenewtidy]

Having searched on BBC news for this I can see what you mean OP. More to do with the probe into how the murderer was killed than the awful death (once again) of an innocent woman.

The policewoman who tasered him shouldn't be occupational health therapy because she shouldn't feel guilty. She should be given a medal. 50,000 volts wasn't enough for that scumbag.

[HelloItsMeFell]

All the news reports I heard today - travelling down the M1 - were either circumspectly vague, or reported both deaths.

But the point that they were making, in the detail of the report, was that the male had been tasered because he was not only the murderer, but also the cannibal. Surely, given the horrific nature of this crime, this would have been reported first? Why are you trying to make something 'feminist' about the reporting of this crime, when the really horrific nature of it is to to do with the man who was involved?

Exactly what BIWI said.