A row has broken out between a weekly newspaper and its local council over claims the authority refused to release photos or information about two abusive twin sisters who had been slapped with Anti-Social Behaviour Orders.
The Croydon Advertiser has published an exclusive story and comment piece criticising Croydon Council and accusing it of trying to protect Jade and Zoe Mort, 18, who were given the ASBOs for repeatedly threatening staff at a drop-in centre run by the authority.
The paper claims the council refused to reveal the level of violence behind the orders given to the twins, including using foul language and threatening to stab staff, which was only publicised in court papers, while it did not provide full details of the ASBOs.
But the council has hit back at the Advertiser’s claims, saying it did not have any photos of the twins but the paper could obtain its own and full details of the order were available from the court – accusing the title of ‘editorial failings’.
The Advertiser said the authority did not reveal full details of what the pair were prevented from doing, although it eventually admitted they were banned from certain areas, and the effectiveness of the orders would be limited by not publishing photos.
A comment piece in the paper said: “Anti-Social Behaviour Orders were brought in to protect the public from unruly yobs who blight their lives.
“Usually council bosses are shouting from the rooftops when they secure an ASBO – showing they take protecting the public very seriously.
“But this week Croydon Council was keener on protecting vicious Zoe and Jade Mort – who were slapped with orders for threatening the council’s own staff in front of other youngsters.
“Repeated requests for information on what these two had done to get such a serious punishment were unanswered with a general comment by Croydon Council – masking the twin’s violent behaviour.
“By not letting the public know who these two are or what they had done, the council is sending out a very dangerous message – to offenders and the public.”
But a spokesman for Croydon Council said the Advertiser’s coverage of the ASBOs was ‘baffling’.
He said: “The paper say the council banned them from warning people what they look like but nothing could be further from the truth.
“The Advertiser was told on more than one occasion that we do not actually have photographs of the twins so the claim we refused to issue photographs is puzzling.
“We also advised the Advertiser it was free to pursue the traditional journalistic methods of obtaining photographs but it appears this was beyond it.
“Details of the order itself were also available from the court but the reporter did not pursue this avenue. The story reads like an excuse for the Advertiser’s editorial failings rather than a rational comment on the issue of publicising ASBO orders.”
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Why didn’t the Advertiser get its own pics? Too many reporters are too reliant on press offices – get out and do your job. Where’s your professional pride? Some editors would sack reporters for saying they couldn’t get pictures because a press officer wouldn’t give them any.
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The point us Steve is not why the reporter didnt get any photos -it is teh fact the council are issuing these orders which rpevent people from entering somewhere when they dont have any pictures of them? Also how do you know the reporter didnt try and get their own snaps?
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Because I did a quick search on social networking sites and found them in five minutes. That’s how.
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Actually Steve you found someone with the same name and a picture, you can’t be sure it is the terrible twins. Would you print it?
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Steve: Perhaps the reporter wasn’t sure if those grainy, low quality photos were the same people. In the past Croydon Council have been more than willing to publish and promote the award of an asbo. They have also provided pictures of the young person who has been given the order, which the correct way of publicising such a measure. The issue here appears to be that the real reason for not providing the pictures has not been provided to the paper and, in my opinion, the council isn’t being entirely open in this story either. If the council has serious issues in releasing the images, all it takes is off-the-record guidance for an amicable resolution to be reached. As it is, from what I understand the council have pictures of these two girls which they are circulating among staff. If the paper missed the snatch for whatever reason, surely its best practice for the authority to provide the pictures?
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Your devotion to you paper is admirable but I think I’d be willing to take a risk that the girls I found on the internet called Zoe and Jade Mort, from Croydon, who are also twins of the same age described in your story are the same ones. That is unless there’s another set of 18-year-old twins called Jade and Zoe Mort in Croydon. You might get away with this rubbish with your readers but it won’t wash with your peers.
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Steve, great so in court you will say “I would be willing to take the risk..” because they have the same name and live in Croydon. That isnt really a defence unfortunately and most local papers can even afford staff let alone a law suit
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No, I’m not saying that. What I’m saying in a roundabout sort of way is that there is no risk and reporters should stop whingeing about people not doing their jobs for them and pull their finger out a bit more. Do an electoral roll search and see how many 18-year-old twins called Jade and Zoe Mort there are in the country. The results tell you all you need to know.
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Steve, I agree with the general principle of what you are saying, and ‘Reporter’s’ first post is all the argument you will ever need in favour of retaining sub editors. However, relying on an electoral roll search for 18-year-olds is a bit of a flawed concept, unless you have some sort of magic real-time version that updates itself the moment anybody reaches voting age. I am more interested in finding out whether it’s the council or the Advertiser telling porkies about the existence of the photos.
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Sense at last, RT, but I think it doesn’t actually matter who’s right about the pics – the paper could and should’ve got their own. Don’t get me started on the quality of some of the entries on here (or plural verbs). They’re another indication of why things actually went awry with their story.
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