The SBC is cautious about naming offenders and victims. The fact that other media outlets have named the person does not in itself establish sufficient public notoriety to justify naming them.

The names of alleged perpetrators who are the subject of criminal proceedings and of victims of crimes or disasters are not disclosed as a matter of principle. The presumption of innocence (see Art. 32 Federal Constitution & 6.9 Presumption of innocence) and the protection of the victims’ privacy are important legal rights. The naming of names has a significant impact not only on the individuals named, but also on their relatives.

We generally refer to suspected or convicted offenders in such a way that they cannot be identified. Addresses or photographs of houses that could enable identification must not be published or broadcast.

Exceptions to the rule of withholding names and identities are possible:

• In cases of overriding public interest
• For people in the public eye, such as politicians, public officials and other celebrities whose names and images are widely known (the more prominent a person is, the more likely it is that the mention of their name is justified)
• If the name is already so well known that not mentioning it would cause confusion, or if it is used as a code name for a case (however, mentioning a person in other media does not automatically release us from our obligation to exercise restraint)
• If the person concerned agrees to the information being publicised (please note: we may have to protect those concerned from themselves)
• If the report only makes sense if the function or name is mentioned (for example, if the president of a road accident victims’ association causes an accident while intoxicated)

In the case of offences and crimes that occurred a long time ago and that have been atoned for, there is a fundamental right to be forgotten (see 13.4 Dealing with requests for deletion). This means that such offences should generally no longer be mentioned in connection with the person concerned.