Countryside Alliance calls on journalists to take care not to fuel online abuse

Following the posting and subsequent deletion of an article on the website KentOnline, the Countryside Alliance is calling on the press to take its responsibilities to prevent online abuse seriously.

KentOnline posted an article in which they named a vet nurse who worked her pet spaniels as gundogs. The website shared not only photographs of her dogs but a photograph of the vet nurse's face, all apparently lifted from Facebook. The site reported comments from people claiming there was a conflict of interest between vet nursing and game shooting.

The Countryside Alliance complained to the publisher KM Group, who are responsible for KentOnline. The Alliance pointed out our recent campaigning against the online abuse received by people involved in game shooting and other rural pursuits, and questioned why an individual vet nurse was being targeted when so many vets are involved in shooting on a professional and recreational basis.

Remarkably, the response received from KM Group suggested that the article had been triggered by one person contacting the newsdesk with a grievance that a vet nurse was involved in working gundogs. This was considered justification to repeatedly telephone the vet nurse's employer before posting her name and picture online.

Immediately following the Alliance complaint, the article was taken down. While the Alliance is pleased that KentOnline acted so quickly, the incident highlights a serious issue.

Countryside Alliance Head of Shooting Liam Stokes said: "We have worked hard to highlight the online abuse the shooting and hunting community receive on a daily basis, and to call on those with the power to stop it to take action. It is really disappointing to see a news outlet pursuing an individual in a way that has the clear potential to amplify that abuse. Phoning someone's employer multiple times and posting her personal pictures on a news website, simply because someone didn't like her choice of hobby, is totally unacceptable.

"There is no public-interest story here, hundreds of people in the veterinary professions are involved in game shooting, so there was no need to throw a spotlight on this one individual in this way. We are pleased that KentOnline seem to have realised their error and have removed the post following our intervention, but we are now calling on all news outlets to be more responsible and not post such non-stories in the first place."