TIRELESS CAMPAIGN FOR A MURDERED SON – THE STEPHEN LAWRENCE STORY

By Kate Greville, senior account manager, Tangerine PR agency, Manchester

I’ve been following the Stephen Lawrence case for a while now, so on Tuesday I sat transfixed to BBC News, waiting to hear a verdict that had taken 18 years to come, and when the ‘guilty’ ruling came, a huge sense of relief come over me. “At last”, I thought.


The case is a fascinating one; one which will go down in history, with Stephen’s legacy never to be forgotten.

Personally I won’t forget it for many reasons…for the numerous investigation blunders, for the fact that it forced a change in the Double Jeopardy Law, for the arrogant contempt of the suspects and the barefaced racism. However, for me, the single most striking part was the tireless justice and PR campaign that Stephen’s parents, Doreen and Neville Lawrence, undertook.

If it weren’t for them, this case would probably have closed years ago, forgotten and hidden in the inside pages of the national newspapers, because on the surface, this murder didn’t appear remarkable and the victim wasn’t white, blonde or female.

However, a mother’s and father’s incredible love and desperation to find justice for their hard-working, bright and ambitious son, who dreamed of becoming an architect, could not be underestimated.



Power of the press

Doreen and Neville were very conscious of the power of the press and key influencers it seems…

Following Stephen’s murder, photographs and interviews appeared with Doreen and Neville in the national news, then the Daily Express ran an ‘in-depth’ article on racism in London. A few days later and quite remarkably, Nelson Mandela was pictured meeting Doreen and Neville – a meeting that was (naturally) widely credited with having given extra impetus to the police investigation.

Then in 1997 there was a significant turning point, the Daily Mail published the headline "Murderers: The Mail accuses these men of killing" – after four years, the Lawrences finally had the full backing of the media. Years of courageous headlines and relentless campaigning followed and on 3rd January 2012, two of the five suspects were brought to justice. A momentous day, which will be remembered forever.


How PR played its part?

In the two decades after Stephen's murder, public relations turned a personal tragedy into a cause celebre, it also played a massive part in the way the public perceived the case and how its participants were, and are to this day, perceived. Working in the PR industry at an agency that covers consumer, trade and charity PR, as well as social media, I know how powerful PR is. Clever and proactive PR and campaigning, like that used in the Stephen Lawrence case, can make brands/individuals/causes famous, affect the bottom line and change reputations, perceptions and opinions.



So as I end this blog, the case continues, I know that whatever happens in the future, no one can deny the power of a parent’s love, or the media for that matter…