In the age of social media, it is one of the most frequently-asked questions faced by established media organisations covering major crimes. Naming the accusedGenerally, an accused person is not named by the media until after their first appearance in court. It may not appear so, but these laws apply to social media users, just as much as they do to traditional media. That is why, once a criminal case becomes legally active, most media organisations will switch off comments on social media to avoid speculation “below the line”. This means the media must be careful not to publish anything that could lead to their identification, for example the name of their school.