submission by british psychological society

8/2/2019 Submission by British Psychological Society

1/9

For D istribution to CPs

MOD100062205


2/9

For D istribution to CP s

IntroductionThis submission is sent as pa rt of module one of the Leveson Inquiry. How ever, it also containsinforma tion about ethical issues which m ay also be c onsidered during mod ule four of the Inquiry.The British Psychological Society welcomes the evidence submitted by the Science Media Centre (SMC)on 5 December 2011 I. The Society is closely linked to the SMC and many of the experiences and viewsexpressed in their document convey concerns shared by this Society.Over many years we have worked to develop a good working relationship with journalists to ensure thatevidence-based psychology is communicated to the media to help inform the wider public. We echothe statement in the SMC submission that much of the coverage is accurate and balanced due to theskill and dedication of the specialist science and health journalists employed in the national press.Members of the British Psychological Society have undertaken training to improve the communicationof their science by developing their media skills. This ensures that our psychologists understand how themedia works, what information is needed and think about how covering a particular story can help orhinder the bigger picture of public understanding. From the hard-hitting articles on new research tofeature stories on specific psychological issues, and perhaps even to more traditional Agony Aunt-stylecolumns, the print media has influence and shapes public understanding and awareness. When thepress gets something wrong it can be devastating for those involved and confusing to the wider public.We support the general issues (section2) of the SMC submission. In particular we would emphasize thepoints about headlines and the unfortunate sensationalising of research.

Se nsationalising psych ological resea rch findings and insensitive reportingOf course in many fields of science and in psychology in particular, there are a number of viewpoints. Inmany ways to suggest that there is only one right answer or viewpoint can over simplify an issue. Due tothe basic rules of print (and broadcast) media - i.e. limited time, space (and for some general reporters)limited appreciation of the complexities, this is an issue.Headlines about psychological research have often been overly sensational and potentially insensitive.This extends to even the highly sensitive topics psychologists research such as psychological disordersand their treatment.

1 http.//~:sc!encemed!acentre:~rg/pages/pub!icat!~ns/index:php?sh~A~=~&sh~w~eries=21

MOD100062206


3/9


At ten t ion De f ic it Hyp erac t iv i t y D is orde r (ADHD )For example, the Daily Mail has on several occasions referred to the developmental disorder ADHD withheadlines including Naughty Child Syndrome Costs Taxpayer 170m2 and another Does ADHD reallyexist?3Whilst psychologists themselves debate the nature of ADHD, referring to the disorder with suchsensationalist headlines is highly likely to cause distress to those diagnosed with ADHD.The former article stated that "there are no m edical tests for ADH D. Instead, children are diagnosed onthe basis of their behav iour and questionnaires". This statement show s a lack of unde rstanding of thediagnosis of psychological disorders, which typically are assessed using interviews and a range ofstandardized p sychological instrume nts like q uestionnaires. Stateme nts like these hav e the potential toa) harm the individual with a d isorder and their families, and b) convey confused m essages a boutpsychological disorders to the general public more broadly in the absence of an evidence-baseddiscussion. This is a pa rticularly sensitive issue beca use it is well established that individuals withpsych ological disorders find the stigma a ttached to me ntal health difficulties mak es their symptom sworse and h arder to recover from4.D e p r e s s i o nDepression is another example of a psychological disorder that is frequently insensitively captured inheadlines. For example an article was published in The Sun last year entitled 24 hours to beatdepressions. The article proceeded with suggestions of activities to boost mood over a 24 hour periodfrom shopping to having a tea-break. While the article may have had a light-hearted focus, it is verylikely it would be upsetting for those with a diagnosed disorder of depression. It could come acrossalong the lines of the pull yourself together style of thinking and be potentially damaging to those whohave been diagnosed with depression who are likely to have complex needs.An a rticle published in the Daily M ail entitled Depression? Its just the new trendy il lnessFtoldsufferers with the disorder to get a grip girls. He re aga in is an exam ple of insensitive rep orting andsuch a combination of sensationalist headlines and insensitivity in relation to de pressive sym ptoms hasthe potential to be highly d istressing to those d iagnosed w ith depression. In general, there see ms to bean aw areness that the reporting of suicides should be done w ith care in an effort to avoid copy-c atoccurrences. The same sensitivity needs to be applied more broadly to psychological issues.

2 http: / /~~~~dai~ymai~~c~~uk/ne~s/artic~e-375455/Naughty-chi~d-syndr~me-c~sts-taxpa~ers-17~m~htm~3 http://ww w.da ilym ail.co.uk/health/art icle-1903 90/Does-ADH D-really-exist.html4 http://www.m ental healt h.org.uk/he/p-inform ation/m ental-hea!th-a-z/S/stigm a-discriminatio n/5 http:!!www~ th esun.co~uk/sol/homepa ge!wo m an!h ea!th/hea It h!3210 961/24-hou rs-to-beat-depression_htm/6 http;//www.dailymail.co, u k/debate!a rticle-12785 lO!Depression-lts-iust-new-trendy-illness, html

3

MOD100062207


4/9


Dam age to personal l ivesPsychology is the scientific study of people, the mind and behaviour. One of the issues that concernsmembers of our Society is the psychological well being of individuals. The Leveson Inquiry has heardseveral hours of evidence from those with a high media profile whose reputation or personal lives mayhave been damaged by press coverage. We would reiterate the point made by the SMC (page 7) thatthis is not just an issue for celebrities but can impact on anyone. Many of the examples of potentialharm brought to our attention concern programmes on broadcast media like: Boys and Girls Alone(Channel 4 2009), Horizon - How violent are you? (BBC 2009), Britains Got Talent (ITV 2009). However,often these programmes provoke many column inches in the general print media and this perpetuatesinaccuracies and the potential for harm and further disregard for individual well being.The S ociety has a dvised production companies that approach us at the early stages of programm edeve lopme nt to speak to our psychologists about the psychological we ll being of programm eparticipants. Whe n this working relationship has been e stablished it has been broadly successful - fromCastaway 2000 (BB C), to Big B rother (Channel 4).

Eth ic a l i ssue sAs we know, ethical standards should be observed in the care and protection of all who appear in themedia spotlight. Some people appear as a result of their occupation, some people attract mediaattention following a personal tragedy or newsworthy event in which they may have been involved;and often, of course, others seek media attention in the hope of becoming celebrities of some sort oranother.

As a g eneral rule it is accep ted that people wh o willingly, directly or indirectly, expose them selves tome dia publicity e.g. those wh o enter into the w orld of reality television program me s, must be presum edto accept the consequences of such exposure. This is, howe ver, subject to several qualifications, at leastin respect of those who unlike ce lebrities cannot be ex pec ted to be aw are of all of the possibleconseque nces of me dia exp osure. Crucially, participants should be able to give fully informe d consentwhich involves the following:-a) they give such consent in the light of com prehensive informa tion of possible conseq uencesb) they hav e a leve l of understanding and c an anticipate the possible nega tive repe rcussions ofpublicityc) they are not psychologically vulnerable.Because of considerable problems experienced by people exposed in the media, the BritishPsychological Society has issued advice to psychologists who may be advisors to production companiesand broadcasters. Despite this, experience suggests that often, while participants give consent they donot fully appreciate the consequences of their participation - particularly participants in realitytelevision programmes who find themselves the focus of news coverage. They are often unaware of thepossible effect on their family members, some of whom may find themselves exposed because of minormisdemeanours in the past. There can be intense activity over the smallest item of interest.

4

MOD100062208


5/9


These problems represent wider and often unrecognised implications of participation in programmesfrom competitive ones like X Factor and Britains Got Talent, to documentary style programmesrelating to life choices and life-styles, or living with particularly difficult conditions. It appears that asearch for stories about the participant or the participants family often becomes the focus ofconsiderable and provocative media activity. Personal criticism of the participant is a commonoccurrence and there seems little regard for the potential hurt to participants and their families.Somehow, they and their families - who importantly have not given informed or indeed any consent -become fair game for some sections of the press. It should be noted that some newspapers have alsobeen instrumental and sometimes helpful in voicing and drawing attention to fears relating to thetreatment, humiliation and criticism of participants in competitive reality programmes, particularlychildren and those who appear to be particularly vulnerable.

Perhaps one of the most noteworthy exam ples of thoroughly unpleasant and potentially dama gingpress attention is that of Jade Goody wh o, while see king fam e in a reality television context, foundherself pilloried in the press. Additionally, it wa s reported that her father abandoned Ja de w hen she wa sa toddler. Despite the fact that this happene d w hen she wa s young, his imprisonment for drug offenceswas p ublicised. Som e of the press found some of the criticism hard to bear with the G uardian objectingto the levels of criticism of J ade in extensive and unpleasant articles in the Sun (a n il lustrative list ofhea dlines is found at http://news.bbc.co.uk/i/hi/7928199.stm.) Perhaps the realisation of the e xtent ofthe criticism and potential hurt was instrume ntal in Jade s later success. W hile some m ay hold the viewthat Jade wa s responsible in that she w illingly participated in B ig Brother, courted publicity andultima tely mad e a succ essful and lucrative career, there would hav e been much distress involved in herrise to fam e; wa s she a wa re of the potential repercussions of participation, was she fair game ? Isanyone in the m edia spotlight fair game ? N otably, her family also sued the press after her death inrelation to the publishing of photos of the burial, (seehttp://www.press~azette.co.u k/story.asp?storycode=44508).It might also be w orth mentioning that professional child actors are also not imm une to dam agingcritical publicity which d oes not take a ge or vulnerability into account. For exam ple, some h ave be encriticised in a manner that is humiliating and embarrassing. Aside from creating personal distress thiswould h ave th e potential to be used by other children to bully. Most notable rece ntly has been criticismof the ch ild actor who p layed B en in EastEnders. (http://www.metro.co.uk/tv/829659-eastenders-stars-lucy-beale-and-ben-mitchell-axed-for-bad-performances)It has to be acknow ledge d that despite the above c oncerns relating to potentially dam aging treatme ntof reality television participants and celebrities, newspape rs, magazines and programm e m akers haveas their m ain priority circulation and viewing figures wh ich, in turn, requires them to reflect theinterests, enthusiasms and desires of the reading and watching public.The Society has published information for TV production companies 7

5

MOD100062209


6/9


The Society frequently receives requests for expert commentary on psychology-related topics. As mediaengagement, and the accurate portrayal of information, is such an important activity, we maintain adatabase of expert media-friendly psychologists who can be contacted by those working in the media.All of these individuals are actively encouraged to uphold professional standards when working with themedia or participating in media productions. Specific guidance8 has been developed which builds on theCode of Ethics and Conduct 0 developed by the Society to provide helpful guidelines for researchers,teachers and practitioners of psychology. This code is built upon four basic principles:

Re spect (valuing the dignity and worth of all people) Com petence (working w ithin their levels of skills and training) Re sponsibility (av oiding harm and the prevention of misuse or abuse of their contributions to

society) Integrity (valuing honesty, ac curacy, clarity a nd fa irness in a ll their interactions).

Wh en BPS me mbers interact with the me dia they are activity encouraged to uphold professionalstandards in three ways.

Respecting the dignity and autonomy of contributors and other people (obtaining valid consentfrom contributors, promoting fairness and sensitivity in portraying individuals and groups, andadvocating for the protection of the rights of people who are vulnerable or of limited capacity).

Supporting high standards of integrity (maintaining scientific standards of accuracy andevidence and advocating coverage of a diverse range of views and fostering debate). Being socially responsible (recognising that media production exists within the context of

human society and has a potential for great influence and considering possible risks and seekingto minimise them while maximising benefits).

s http://www.bps.~rf~.uk/what-we-d~/ethics-standards/ethics-media-inf~rmati~n-members/ethics-media-information-membershttp:/[www_bps~org.uk/sites[default[f!!es/documents/code of ethics and conduc t.pdf

6

MOD100062210


7/9


The system of redressIn June 2009 the Daily Telegraph misreportect a story about psychological research concerning rape. Thepress release for the research was headlined "Promiscuous men more likely to rape" (appendix 1), thenews in the Telegraph read:

Rape Triggers"Women who drink alcohol, wear short skirts and are outgoing are more likely to be raped, psychologists

at the University of Leicester claimed. They asked 101 rugby and football players to imagine variousscenarios and found that all three factors had a bearing on whether men would force a woman into

sexual intercourse".This was a misreporting of the research. The researcher was not only concerned about her professionalreputation but was even more concerned about the feelings of women across the country who mayhave been victims of rape. On this occasion we supported the researcher to speak to the DailyTelegraph reporter, and a full correction and apology were printed. The system worked very well onthat occasion. There was no need to contact the Press Complaints Commission (PCC). However wewould support the SMC view that there should be a change to the PCC rule that states that only anindividual scientist can complain about an inaccurate story. The scientific community must be able tomake complaints about inaccurate articles which damage the public interest. This would allowprofessional bodies, such as the Society, to support their members more fully.More routinely individual scientists have be en concerned about the accurac y in the reporting of theirwork and in particular the over-simplification of evidence and c onclusions.

Recommendat ionsThe British Psych ological Society calls on the Leve son Inquiry to consider the followingrecommendations:

Support the recommendations submitted by the Science Media Centre (page 9 of theirdocument).

Encourage newspapers to consider the psychological implications of news and features, bothfor the individuals involved a nd for their wide r readership. Th e guidelines published by theBritish Psychological Soc iety (mentioned on pa ges 5 and 6 of this submission) are available forthis purpose.

7

MOD100062211


8/9


A bout th e B r it is h P s y c h o log i c a l S oc i e t yThe British Psychological Society, incorporated by Royal Charter, is the learned and professional bodyfor psychologists in the United Kingdom. We are a registered charity with a total membership of almost50,000. Under its Royal Charter, the objective of the British Psychological Society is "to promote theadvancement and diffusion of the knowledge of psychology pure and applied and especially to promotethe efficiency and usefulness of members by setting up a high standard of professional education andknowledge".We are committed to providing and disseminating evidence-based expertise and advice, engaging withpolicy and decision makers, and promoting the highest standards in learning and teaching, professionalpractice and research. The British Psychological Society is an examining body granting certificates anddiplomas in specialist areas of professional applied psychology.Contac t :Lucy Chapl in , PR M anagerThe Br it ish Psychological S ociety48 Princess Road EastLeicester LE1 7DR

8

MOD100062212


9/9


A p p e n d i x 1

N e w s R e le a s eE m b a r g o : 0 0 .0 1 h r s T u e s d a y 2 3rd June 2009 48 Princess Road East, Leicester LE1 7DR

P r om is c u o u s m e n m o re l ike l y to ra p ePromiscuous men are m ore l ikely to force w ome n in to sex.This is one of the f indings of Sophia Sha w and colleagues from the University of Leicester whowill present their resea rch at the B ritish Psychologica l Society Division of Forensic PsychologyAnnual Conference today, Tuesday 23rd June, at the U niversity of Central Lanc ashire, Preston.First, 101 m en age d betwee n 18 and 7 0 com pleted questionnaires regarding their sexualhistory, personality and ag gression. The y w ere then aske d to imag ine themselves in differentscenarios with one wom an but varying her dress, how m uch alcohol she had drank, howassertive she w as and how m any previous sexual partners she had.M en w ho considered them selves sexual ly e xper ienced were wi l ling to coerce thewom an to a later stage in the sc enario than those w ith less sexual expe rience . Thesem en also reported tha t they found resistance from a w om an sexua lly arousing.Alcohol , howev er , had the op posi te e f fec t tha n pred ic ted , wi th p ar t ic ipants m ore l ike ly tocoerce wom en w ho w ere sober rather than d runk.Sophia explained: "Previous research has suggested that wom en are m ore l ikely to be rapedby some one they know , yet they fear rape by strangers more. This study w as concerned w ithexam ining the factors that lead me n to have a greater l ikelihood to comm it rape in scenariosinvolv ing a wom an w ho w as an acquaintance.""W e can see from the results that sexually expe rienced m en are m ore l ikely to coerce wom en insexual situations; even m ore so if they believe the w om en to be sexua lly exp erienced."The conference is being held a t the University of Central La ncashire from the 23 rd to25th June. Th e ful l program m e is available on the Soc ietys we bsitehttp://www , bps, or.q. uk/D F P2009EndsFOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:Date:R e f : P R 1 6 3 0

18th June 2009

9

MOD100062213

submission by british psychological society

Documents