Name and shame

To name and shame is to "publicly say that a person, group or business has done something wrong".^[1] It is used to discourage some kinds of activity (including anti-social or criminal) by publishing the names of those involved.

Anti-social and criminal

It has been used variously against customers of prostitutes, shoplifters, abortionists, homosexuals (see "outing"), graffiti artists, and spies.

The Rat Book was launched late in 2009 as the UK's biggest name and shame website ([1]). By January 2010, The Rat Book contained the details of over 14,000 criminal charges and convictions in the UK, including paedophilia, rape, murder, violent crime, abuse, and terrorism. Users of the website had the ability to browse through The Rat Book's online crime database by clicking their location on an interactive map, allowing them to view crime and criminals specific to where they are from in the UK.

In July 2010, the Rat Book ceased to exist after its owner, Johnny Morrissey, was publicly revealed by angry victims of miscarriages of justice whose details appeared on the site. The Rat Book was also criticised for naming people before being convicted, and for retaining details of people who had been found not guilty of the offences they were accused of.

Drug-related crimes were conspicuous in their absence on the site. It was later claimed by members of the site's forum that the reason for this was because Morrissey was a drug-dealer himself, and that he would accept payments from anyone named on the site in order to have their name removed.

NGOs and governments

"Name and shame" is also used with NGOs and governmental bodies.

The European Union is discussing a report, drafted by Greek Green MEP Michail Tremopoulos, and "backed by a huge majority of MEPs in a Strasbourg plenary...recommending that the European Commission improve the transparency of EU funding, including publishing online the names of people who abuse or defraud regional and cohesion funds."^[2]

According to Gerald Steinberg, professor of political studies at Bar-Ilan University and president of NGO Monitor, and Jason Edelstein, communications director of NGO Monitor, there are NGOs "which proclaim to support universal human rights but both neglect the human rights of some and are activtely working towards the deligitimization of others."^[3]

See also

• Big-character poster
• Peer pressure
• Witch-hunt

References

1. ^ Cambridge Online Dictionary
2. ^ Name and shame regional fund fraudsters online, say MEPs
3. ^ Turning the Tables on BDS, Jerusalem Post, November 7, 2010

This culture-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Group processes Journalism ethics Defamation Culture stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР Name That Tune (UK Gameshow) Name collision Look at other dictionaries: name and shame — (informal) To make an announcement exposing the alleged perpetrator of a misdemeanour to public opprobrium • • • Main Entry: ↑name * * * name and shame phrase to publish embarrassing facts about a person or organization, especially in order to… …   Useful english dictionary Name and Shame — is a practice to discourage some kinds of activity (generally anti social or criminal) by publishing the names of those involved. The term was coined by British newspapers in the 1980s.It has been used variously against customers of prostitutes,… …   Wikipedia name and shame — naming and shaming ˌnaming and ˈshaming noun [uncountable] LAW when the authorities make known to the public the names of companies that have broken the law or the rules for a particular activity: • the naming and shaming of food manufacturers… …   Financial and business terms name and shame — to publish embarrassing facts about a person or organization, especially in order to persuade them to change their behaviour or policies We intend to name and shame companies which use child labour …   English dictionary name and shame — verb To publish the name of (a person or organization that has committed some transgression) so as to single them out for individual blame and censure …   Wiktionary name and shame — Meaning The publication of the identity of a person or group that is culpable in some anti social act. Origin Coined in the 1980s by UK newspapers when exposing wrongdoers …   Meaning and origin of phrases name — name1 [ neım ] noun *** 1. ) count a word or set of words by which a person or thing is usually known: My name is Judith Kramer. Please write your name, address, and telephone number on the list. name of: What s the name of this flower? name for …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English name — name1 W1S1 [neım] n ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(of a person)¦ 2¦(of a thing or place)¦ 3¦(reputation)¦ 4¦(famous person/company/product)¦ 5 call somebody names 6 in somebody s name/in the name of somebody 7 something has somebody s name on it 8 in the name of… …   Dictionary of contemporary English name — [[t]ne͟ɪm[/t]] ♦ names, naming, named 1) N COUNT: usu with poss The name of a person, place, or thing is the word or group of words that is used to identify them. What s his name? Peter. ... I don t even know if Sullivan s his real name... They… …   English dictionary name */*/*/ — I UK [neɪm] / US noun Word forms name : singular name plural names Talking or writing about names: first name/Christian name a personal name that you are given when you are born: The children call me Mrs Jones, but actually my first name is Mary …   English dictionary 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”