EDITORIAL

Tweet a shocking lapse for Hinch

SOCIAL media can be both a blessing and a trap.

Used correctly, it can connect you to like-minded people across the globe or offer you a stream of reading material or news curated to your personal taste.

But just as the speed and ease of access to information can make our lives easier, it can also get us into hot water if not used correctly or with a suitable level of care.

A case in point is former broadcaster and Australian senator Derryn Hinch’s tweet in response to the death of Arab-Israeli student Aiia Maasarwe at La Trobe University this week.

Hinch made his name as a radio and TV personality who wasn’t afraid to pull his punches.

He spent time in prison for contempt of court after revealing the identity of a paedophile, and wears his refusal to be silenced as a badge of pride.

But as his ill-considered tweet this week proved, there is a fine line between the public’s right to know and protecting a victim’s rights or even considering the feelings of a victim’s loved ones.

Aiia Maasarwe’s death is a shocking crime that has angered and saddened a community.

There has been mass coverage across all forms of media and plenty of shock and outrage expressed by columnists and community members alike.

It is often the case that media choose not to publish all of the details of a crime for various reasons, most commonly out of consideration to extended family or because police have requested details not be made public in case it hinders an investigation.

These decisions are never made lightly.

So for Hinch to take it upon himself and mass broadcast shocking details of the crime on social media was, even in the best case scenario, a totally reckless act.

After the tweet created a storm from people outraged over the carelessness of Hinch’s revelations, he returned to social media yesterday defending the post as “misconstrued” and said he posted it to warn other women in the area.

The level of detail included in the tweet was not necessary to warn others — it was there to shock.

As an elected member of parliament he should be acting in his constituents’ best interests and show a greater level of care. As a former journalist, he should know better.

Perhaps next time he will consider things a little more fully before he takes to social media.