False Report About Rampage Shooter: Innocent Styrian Receives Death Threats

The consequences of untrustworthy or false reporting are currently evident in the case of a young man from Leibnitz. The 22-year-old, who shares the same first name as the perpetrator, was wrongly identified as the shooter by a television station after the rampage in Graz, and images of him were published. Since then, the family has been confronted with a flood of threats, the man says in a video uploaded to social media, which was also reported by the "Krone".

Serious Mix-Up After Rampage: Massive Threats

Being wrongly identified as the rampage shooter has severely affected him and his family. "It has hit me hard psychologically, I have barely been able to sleep," says the Styrian in the video, expressing his wish for the (death) threats and hostilities to end. He appeals for people to seek reliable information. He told the "Krone" that he intends to consult a lawyer to take action against the reporting. Should a complaint be filed, any potential investigation would fall under the jurisdiction of the Graz public prosecutor's office.

Press Council Urges Restraint

Following the rampage of a 21-year-old at his former school, the Austrian Press Council has called for restraint and emphasized the importance of victim protection and avoiding the glorification of the alleged perpetrator. Media should, for example, avoid going into too much detail regarding the alleged perpetrator. Several cases of problematic reporting have already been reported to the self-regulatory body.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.