Named and SHAMED

When wrongdoings are caught on camera, is it right to publicly call someone out?

- TESS STIMSON, NATASHA HARDING

We can all probably agree that behaviour such as cheating and lying is unacceptable. But have you ever thought maybe, just maybe, if you could get away with something morally questionable, you might just do it? Then imagine your horror if your actions were caught on camera and posted online – you were vilified by the public, judged and shamed with your name and face plastered all over the internet. That’s exactly what happened to Piotr Szczerek, who, last month, was filmed snatching a cap from a young boy at the US Open, after it had been handed to him by tennis player Kamil Majchrzak.

As the clip went viral, people condemned his behaviour and online sleuths quickly identified Szczerek as the CEO of a paving company, labelling him ‘entitled’ and someone who ‘lacked integrity’. Szczerek later issued an apology, calling his actions ‘a huge mistake’ and returning the hat to the boy.

But it raises the question, is it OK to shame someone on social media in order to hold them accountable?

'IT SERVES YOU RIGHT'

Tess Stimson, 53, is a writer and journalist, and lives in London.

When I was a kid, I got up to all sorts of mischief when I thought my mum wasn't looking-pinching my baby sister's arm, pretending I'd washed my hands before dinner, and sneaking the last Bourbon Cream and blaming the dog. But like mothers the world over, my mum had eyes in the back of her head, and I never got away with it for long.