AC4.3 Discuss how newspaper campaigns affect policy making

Question 1

Discuss how newspaper campaigns affect policy making

Sarah’s Law

Answer 1

Summary:
- Sara Payne’s 8 yrs old daughter murdered by a convicted paedophile
- campaigned to bring in a scheme to inform parents of local paedophiles

newspaper role:
- July 2000, ‘named and shamed’ 50 claimed paedophiles and would continue if there wasn’t change
- lead to campaigns success after initial resistance from fear of vigilante effect

policy:
- the child sex offender disclosure scheme
- anyone could ask police if there were any paedophiles in the area however they’re not obliged to give the information unless there is a safeguarding risk to the child

Question 2

Discuss how newspaper campaigns affect policy making

Year and a Day Rule

Answer 2

Summary:
- Michael Gibson assaulted at 20 and died at 22 after a coma from the incident
- was only charged with gbh and not murderd due to year and a day rule dating back to 1200s

northern echo newspaper:
- newspaper demanding its readers to sighn a petition to revoke the year and a day law
- local mp introduced bill into parliment, it failed but 2 yrs later was passed

policy:
- 1996 law reform act

Question 3

Discuss how newspaper campaigns affect policy making

Road Safety

Answer 3

summary:
- campaign to improve road safety

newspapers:
- encouraged readers to send in dash-cam footage of unsafe driving

policy:
- ‘ operation streetside’ police crackdown, 8,000 caught
-became part of national constitution to tighten dangerous driving laws in 2016 after Bradford MPs highlighted it to parlement

Question 4

Discuss how individual campaigns affect policy making

Clare’s Law

Answer 4

Summary:
- Claire was murdered by her partner with previous violent convictions
- her parents campaigned to bring in a law allowing ppl to allow people to ask police if their partners have a violent past

individual
- Michael, Claire’s dad gained attention through gathering evidence, petitions and support from charities, politicians and the media

policies:
- 2013 - pilot scheme in 4 areas
- 2014 - domestic violence disclosure scheme rolled out in E + W
- DVDS set out 2 procedures for police
1. right to ask - partner asks
2. right to know - police inform a person

Question 5

Discuss how individual campaigns affect policy making

Double Jeopardy

Answer 5

Summary:
- AnnMing’s daughters killer confessed to the murder but couldn’t be trialled due to the double jeopardy law

Individual:

policiy:
- 2003 - criminal justice act, allowed people to retrial serious crimes

Question 6

Discuss how individual campaigns affect policy making

Stephen Lawrence

Answer 6

Summary:
- young black boy murdered, no evidence to convict
-

Question 7

Discuss how pressure group campaigns affect policy making

Protection Against Stalking

Answer 7

Summary:
- Set up an independent parliamentary inquiry,
- hearing evidence from victims and relatives,academic experts, lawyers, police and probation officers.

policy:
- report published in feb 2012 supported by 60 MPs and peers
- became protection of freedoms act in 2012, made stalking an offence

Question 8

Discuss how pressure group campaigns affect policy making

Inquest

Answer 8

Summary:
- focuses on state related deaths
- e.g. in police custody, prisons and psychiatric care
- activities
- casework - support bereaved, establish truth behind a death
- accountability - ensure institutions are held accountable
- changing policies - spread lessons and prevent further deaths

Question 9

Pressure groups

Answer 9

• Organisations that try to influence govt policies in the interests of a particular cause