When reporting on a crime, picture the right person

The host of Media Watch, Paul Barry reaffirms the importance of fact-checking your news stories, especially when publishing a picture of a person responsible for a crime.

During last night's (12/9) Media Watch episode, Barry dives into Courier-Mail's slip-up, identifying the wrong man as a 'cop-killing gunman'.

Shane Wyrzynski, the wrongly pictured man, wants to pursue the tabloid paper for defamation. He told Media Watch he wants a front-page apology and compensation.

A defamation expert told Barry his chances were good, pointing to the recent O'Brien Criminal & Civil Solicitor case where a man was wrongly identified as the kidnapper of Cleo Smith.

Right name, wrong picture: Channel Seven's costly error