Jenny Bathurst: "Commenters and social media ‘detectives’ should think before they write"

“Every time a major news story hits the headlines that could hold any morsel of speculation or uncertainty, it seems that hundreds of Facebook and other social media users pull on their trench coats, start smoking a pipe and find the nearest magnifying glass. It’s detective time. Suddenly there are one hundred theories and criticisms, one hundred more claiming the aforementioned theories are absolute rubbish, and you are left with utter chaos.

“This rings particularly true for the ongoing investigation regarding Nicola Bulley, a British woman who disappeared from her town and was later tragically found in the River Wyre. The speculation is colossal. You read these theories that people hypothesise, and suddenly it no longer feels like a real life story that is breaking those closest to her’s hearts but a BBC crime drama where audiences are attempting to guess the ending before Thursday night comes back around.

“I wrote some years ago regarding the case of Sarah Everard, a tragic story of a young woman who was raped and killed by a police officer. I was absolutely heartbroken, but also terrified. Each and every time I went for a stroll or went just about anywhere on my own I was gripped with fear, knowing what some people are capable of. We know just what happened to poor Sarah, and it makes me angry and inconceivably upset that her potential and future opportunities were quashed all because someone decided he didn’t want her to get home.

“We don’t know the full extent of what has happened to Nicola Bulley, and that is frightening. I hate to be another voice to add to the frenzy, but can’t we all agree the tragedy of this situation? The tragedy that there are two little girls who have lost their mummy. The tragedy that a lady who we’ve seen smiling in so many images could have been in any which situation that she had no control over. And the tragedy that this is just one more reason for women and girls to be frightened to ever venture out of the house on their own.

“Perhaps I am being a ‘snowflake’ or missing the point of social media, but if I had it my way I would truly urge these commenters and social media ‘detectives’ to think before they write. We are so quick to judge, theorise, treat this like a crime drama, but at the heart of this story is people. People going through heartbreak and loss. And the worst part is, I am sure this is not the last headline we will see like it.