Hostages Of Fortune – Why Faye Turney Dunnit By Andy McNab
“WHY Faye told her story in The Sun,” says the headline.
Readers are not allowed to get into the spirit of the thing and guess why Faye Turney took the Murdoch schilling and told the world about so much tears, torture and dirty knickers. This is no game. This is war, sort of.
The article is ascribed to Andy McNab, “SAS hero and Sun Security Advisor”. (If any Sun hack is stuck behind enemy lines at the Mirror, Andy will retrieve those still alive and then write a book about his exploits. He also does locks, alarms and will walk you safely to your car.)
For now Andy is, as ever, appearing in silhouette. He is here to tell us why Faye Turney took a load of money to tell her story to the Press.
He begins: “They volunteered to serve Britain by patrolling some of the world’s most dangerous waters.”
What followed was a “harrowing ordeal beyond most people’s imagination”. So far, so paperback.
But when they retuned, instead of the “heroes’ welcome” McNab says they deserved, they were attacked. “Faye has even had to endure jibes about her appearance for God’s sake – a woman risking her neck in a war zone.”
Poor Topsy. For shame that her blonde hair, Woman At Ahmadinejad headscarf and dirty knickers should become an issue.
But why did she tell her story to the Sun? McNab says that the “at times hysterical Daily Mail” tried to secure her testimony. That paper offered Faye a “very substantial sum”.
But she went with the Sun. Do you know why? They offered more money? Perhaps. Andy does not mention amounts. He says Turney went to the Sun because it is “the Forces’ paper”.
So this is why Faye chose the Sun – to tell as many of her colleagues what happened, to reach her people by the clearest route? Why Able Seaman Arthur Batchelor chose the Mirror is a moot point.
But what of the media storm? Andy talks of those “media critics” who compare the whole thing to “reality TV”? Says McNab: “But it’s not Faye and the other hostages who have caused this, it’s the people slagging them off in the media who have crated it.”
So the brouhaha does not come from Mrs Turney’s story of tears, the fear of rape and, lest we forget, dirty knickers? The fuss is all rooted in the media and the Mail’s jealousy?
It’s good to be set straight on such matters.
And, in any case: “If she hadn’t have gone to the Sun the story would have dripped out anyway.”
Indeed. The danger then is that the Sun would have had to pool the dripping facts with the Mail, Express, Mirror, Star…
Posted: 13th, April 2007 | In: Tabloids Comments (2) | TrackBack | Permalink
