Scottish newspaper claims it has identified injunction footballer

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/online/scottish-newspaper-claims-it-has-identified-injunction-footballer-2287689.html

Summary

A Scottish newspaper was the first mainstream publication to identify the footballer accused of using the courts to keep sexual affairs a secret. They published a picture of him with his eyes blacked out, making him fairly easy to recognize to anyone who is familiar with the sport. The name of the footballer has already been released to the internet after a reporter mentioned it on Twitter. The injunction that prevents British media from printing the man’s name has no power in Scottish. The editor of the newspaper said it is not right for newspapers not to be able to print something anyone can find through Google.

Comment

I find this situation very controversial. On the one hand, it is daft that a newspaper cannot print information readily available on the Internet. On the other, it is an issue of protecting people’s identities. Affairs should be something that is handled in private, even when it comes to famous people. It puts enough strain on a marriage as it is without the public gawking along. However, there is no way to control what appears on the Internet, it is not feasible. Rather, there should be laws about what journalists are or are not allowed to post on their personal social media accounts when it comes to their job.