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At Least 13 People Died by Suicide Amid U.K. Post Office Scandal, Report Says

(www.nytimes.com)
628 points xbryanx | 5 comments | 11 Jul 25 11:56 UTC | HN request time: 0.231s | source
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akudha ◴[11 Jul 25 14:03 UTC] No.44532288[source]▶
This was depressing to read. Failures at so many levels.

1. Immediately after Horizon was rolled out, issues were reported. But ignored

2. Prosecutors didn't bother to verify if there is another explanation before accusing thousands of people of stealing? Isn't it common sense to pause for a second and think, "could we please double check the evidence? how can thousands of postal workers suddenly turn into thieves?"

3. local newspaper had published a photo of her and labeled her the “pregnant thief.” - of course, UK tabloids. Click baits and write whatever the fuck they want, no matter whose lives are destroyed

4. post office has said that it does not have the means to provide redress for that many people - so they have the means to falsely prosecute and destroy the lives of thousands of people, but they don't have the means to correct their blunders?

This happened more than a decade ago. Citizens are expected to do everything on time (pay taxes, renew drivers license...) or get fined/jailed, but the government can sit on their butt for 10 YEARS and do nothing about a blunder they caused?

What about Fujitsu? Why can't the government make Fujitsu pay for the destruction caused by their shitty software?

Jeez. This is just fucking nuts

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dagmx ◴[11 Jul 25 14:50 UTC] No.44532787[source]▶
I really wish someone had the political capital to do something about the tabloids. They’re really a detriment to society.
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arrowsmith ◴[11 Jul 25 15:08 UTC] No.44533002[source]▶
I don't like the tabloids either but what exactly do you propose we do? Are you sure it's a good idea to undermine the freedom of the press?

A government with the power to censor the tabloids is also a government with the power to censor the news outlets that you do like. I'd be careful about opening that can of worms.

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1. BobaFloutist ◴[11 Jul 25 15:48 UTC] No.44533535[source]▶
The United States (famously) has stronger free speech protections and weaker libel/slander laws, yet seems to have less of an issue with tabloids. Is there maybe more of a divide between what's alloweable for "public figures" versus private citizens? Or maybe even our right-wing rags are more skeptical of the government? I don't know what the difference is, but you seem to see less of this sort of thing, gross as our tabloids still are. Maybe it really is just a cultural difference somehow.
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2. esseph ◴[11 Jul 25 16:12 UTC] No.44533889[source]▶
The US tabloids are awful. Any checkout isle at a Walmart, Dollar General, etc is just littered with them, right next to the disposable lighter packs and chewing gum.
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3. ToValueFunfetti ◴[11 Jul 25 16:45 UTC] No.44534282[source]▶
But nobody reads them in the US[1], and many are about celebrities or cryptids or what-have-you rather than current events or private citizens. There's definitely a cultural difference here.

[1] UK has 1/4th of the population of the US but The Sun has 4x the circulation of The New York Post. The Daily Mirror every day puts out 4x the number of papers that The National Enquirer puts out in a week.

4. BobaFloutist ◴[11 Jul 25 17:08 UTC] No.44534624[source]▶
Sure, I did say they were gross, but they just seem to mostly cause less concrete damage. Not sure why.
5. umbra07 ◴[11 Jul 25 19:36 UTC] No.44536086[source]▶
they aren't nearly as toxic as the UK tabloids.

Also, I never hear anybody talk about what the tabloids are reporting. There's a lot of social stigma attached to them in the US.