Relationship between police and media is 'broken and must be rebuilt'

The relationship between police and the media “is broken and must be rebuilt”, a report listing 26 recommendations for change has said.

Communication between the two has deteriorated in recent years which has “allowed speculation to run unchecked”, the Crime Reporters Association (CRA), the Society of Editors (SoE) and the Media Lawyers Association (MLA) said in their joint report.

It raised particular concerns about “fewer background briefings by the police and the rise of social media commentators to fill the information vacuum.” The spread of misinformation has damaged public confidence, it added.

An independent College of Policing review of the investigation into Nicola Bulley’s disappearance in January 2023 found the relationship between police and the media “to be fractured”.

The report by media industry bodies, titled Police and the Media: Repairing the Relationship, responds to the review.

The Daily Mail’s Rebecca Camber, chair of the CRA and author of the report released on Friday, said: “The relationship between the press and police is broken and must be rebuilt.

“The Nicola Bulley investigation review revealed for the first time that this isn’t just an issue for journalists, it is a problem for police and ultimately the public who have lost faith in ordinary officers who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe.

“There are major benefits for forces in opening up and being more transparent about officers’ work. Fundamentally, the police and the media need to start talking to each other again, trusting each other, telling the public about some of the heroic, often thankless work police do, day-in day-out.”

It cited three high-profile incidents where lack of reportable and non-reportable guidance