Nine News names Bali boy

This morning while watching Nine News I learned the identity of the 14 year old Australian boy arrested in Bali for possessing marijuana.

Until now his name and image had been kept private to me, which is exactly what I would expect for a minor yet to face court. But there he was, named and with his face as clear as a bell.

His name was also published by NineMSN. The Sunday Telegraph also published his name but later deleted it from online bulletins.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports AAP and some radio stations named him on Friday. It also reports Nine News named him on Friday. One presenter has also tweeted his identity -not the first Twitter account to do so.

The identification comes despite The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade asking media to keep his identity private.

An email from DFAT was sent to Chiefs of Staff yesterday:

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade respectfully requests that Australian media organisations refrain from naming or showing images of the teenage boy detained in Bali.

This is consistent with the requirements that would apply under Australian law if the boy were facing the same allegations here.

We ask that the media respect the family’s privacy at this time.

Legally there isn’t any law broken by publishing his name in Australia when he is facing court in a foreign country.

Nine News boss Mark Calvert, also points to inconsistencies in his identity being available online.

‘‘I find the self-censorship of the other media organisations curious and quite pointless. The internet and social media sites are awash with his name and photos. And the lad himself is posting very public updates on Facebook,’’ he said.

‘‘We’ll continue reviewing the situation. But right now, if we’re one of the few mainstream news services giving people full coverage of a story of such enormous public interest, then I’m very comfortable with that.”

But surely the family’s use of social media is evidence of a family in crisis, using every means at their disposal to help apply pressure on the Australian government to assist?

If a 14 year old is using Facebook when they are under lock and key in another country isn’t that an act of desperation rather than a legal loophole for media?

There are absolutely inconsistencies in law when it comes to the might of online. DFAT should have moved earlier on their request too.

But we should expect better of all news organisations to protect the vulnerable from themselves, especially when minors are involved.