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June 13, 2011

How journalists can be a force for good (and bad) when writing about the care system

By Press Gazette

Journalists were praised for the role they played last week in helping a man secure the release of his 21-year-old autistic son after he was taken into care unlawfully by Hillingdon Council.

But a day earlier The Sun made an unreserved apology in open court and paid libel damages, which were believed to be substantial, to Sylvia Henry – a social worker involved in the Baby P case.

As former Health Service Journal editor Richard Vize has noted, when journalists write about the care system the stakes are incredibly high with some of the most vulnerable people in society involved.

Click on the links below for Press Gazette’s recent coverage on this issue (including BBC’s Panorama’s amazing investigation into abuse at a care home run for adults with learning difficulties).

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