A report into the Manchester Arena attack has raised concerns about how the media approached victim’s families before they had been told that their loved ones were involved in the tragedy.
An independent panel, appointed by the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and led by Lord Bob Kerslake, on Friday revealed its preliminary findings which included a recommendation that public bodies dealing with families of the bereaved should adopt rules proposed by Bishop James Jones’ Hillsborough review in November last year, entitled ‘The patronising disposition of unaccountable power’.
Speaking about the role of the media in the aftermath of the May 22 bombing, Lord Kerslake said a lot of publishers had “handled those issues respectfully”, but noted that the role of social media, had complicated matters.
“But there is a new dimension - that is the advent of social media - those who are missing go up very quickly on social media, and the families want that because they’re looking for information... the question is how do the media respond to that information.”
He said in a number of cases, families were approached before they knew what had happened to their loved ones, and that the panel “need to talk to the media further” before publishing its report, due in March.
Burnham said there were “instances of behaviour that were not acceptable”, especially the way images were used and the way families were contacted.
The brother of victim Martyn Hett tweeted about his frustrations at being approached by journalists a day after the bombing that killed 22 and left hundreds injured, and today remembered having an “unusable phone filled with journalist requests”.
Lord Kerslake said today that the families of the victims of Salman Abedi’s suicide bomb needed to be the focus of the inquiry as “those families are still having their lives dominated by that terrible night”.
“People talk loosely about closure but for those families there will not be quick closure,” he added.
Burham said: “Experience shows that the best way to help bereaved families is to give them the truth as soon as possible.”
The Mayor said he was very proud of the way emergency services responded to the bombing, but noted things could have been done better.
Lord Kerslake, supported by a panel of experts, was asked to assess Greater Manchester’s preparedness, explore the response of the different agencies and emergency services, identify good practice, and look at any opportunities to strengthen the response to future terror attacks.
The Hillsborough charter, which Kerslake recommended public bodies adopt, asks organisations to commit to learning lessons from Hillsborough to ensure the perspective of bereaved families are not lost in any future public tragedies. The Hillsborough tragedy, in April 1989, left 96 dead and 766 injured.
The charter commits public bodies to “becoming an organisation which strives to” support the bereaved and vulnerable, put the public interest above their own reputation, assist the search for truth by being open and honest under scrutiny, be held to account and not mislead the public or the media.
The Kerslake panel spoke to the bereaved and injured, emergency services, NHS, local councils and around 170 people, including young people at the concert on the night of the attack.
Lord Kerslake said: “The panel wants to ensure that the ethos of putting families first isn’t lost following this tragedy or in the future, that’s why we are recommending Greater Manchester adopts the ‘Charter for families bereaved through public tragedy’ that was introduced as part of the Right Reverend Jones’ report.
“Throughout the review we have given everyone the chance to have their say and share their experiences of that dreadful night and the days that followed – good or bad – so we can look at what worked well and learn any lessons for the future.”
Burnham added: “When I commissioned this review I wanted first and foremost to make sure that the families of those killed and the seriously injured were at the heart of the process and as the progress report outlines, the panel have worked hard to give everyone the opportunity to have their voices heard in the most appropriate way – whether that be via face-to-face meetings or by sending their written accounts.
“I have had the opportunity myself to meet many of the families who lost loved ones and many of the injured and what they have said is that they want the final report to be honest in telling the story of what happened that night.
“I have worked with families bereaved through public tragedy before and often what compounds their distress is a failure to get to the truth and I am determined that doesn’t happen here.
“That is why I am calling on all public bodies in Greater Manchester to provide their fullest cooperation to Lord Kerslake and the panel as it completes its review, and I would encourage every public body in the city region to sign up to the charter as proposed by the panel today.”
Anyone affected by the Manchester Arena attack can visit a dedicated website for advice, information and support www.manchesterattacksupport.org.uk