Leveson Inquiry: The Sun Delights In Marina Hyde’s Clanger While Biased BBC Ignores It
THE best thing in the newspaper is that Newspapers War (tabloid rules dictate that any spat is a War, so it’s a WAR). A former colleague who worked as a columnist for the Daily Mirror used to make occasional trips to the Sun’s HQ in wapping. She described it as being akin to crossing enemy lines. The WAR being waged right now is between the Guardian (the paper every internet journalist wants to write for but which loses £500,000 a day) and the Sun, which can be a fantastic read, makes money and employs the country’s best subs and TV reporter Ally Ross, a writer worth the cover price alone.
Britain’s Guardian newspaper was forced to apologise to Rupert Murdoch’s The Sun today for falsely alleging that the tabloid’s reporters doorstepped a lawyer at the phone-hacking enquiry.
In an unwelcome twist for the left-leaning paper which has led efforts to expose hacking at Murdoch’s now-defunct News of the World weekly tabloid, the Guardian admitted in court that its front-page claim was wrong.
The writer is Marina Hyde. The Sun was understandably delighted:
THE Guardian was forced to apologise to the Leveson inquiry today after falsely accusing The Sun of doorstepping lawyer Carine Patry Hoskins.
In a front page sketch by columnist Marina Hyde — entitled “Steve Coogan The Media Are Like The Mafia. It’s Just Business” — the newspaper wrongly said we had sent reporters to Ms Hoskins’s home after she was dubbed “womanontheleft” by hundreds of thousands of Twitter users.
Hyde wrote: “Meanwhile, if you want to know how deeply the self-reproach is running over at News International, do be advised that the Sun on Tuesday sent a reporter to doorstep the so-called ‘#womanontheleft’.
“Carine Patry Hoskins is the junior counsel to the inquiry who trended worldwide on Twitter on Monday after being picked up by the TV cameras listening to Hugh Grant’s testimony (how dare counsel pay attention?).
“To the paper, the doorstep is routine; others might deem it the equivalent of blowing a giant raspberry at Lord Justice Leveson’s inquiry, or perhaps casually defecating on his lordship’s desk while doing a thumbs-up sign. Tomato, tomahto.”
Poo-hoo. The Sun adds:
Her piece was published by Editor Alan Rusbridger without any checks or calls made to The Sun.
The Guardian has published its correction:
“In a piece sketching the Leveson inquiry we incorrectly stated that the Sun newspaper sent a reporter to the home of a junior counsel to the Inquiry. The Sun did not send a reporter to the barrister’s home. We apologise for the error and any suggestion that there was an intention by the Sun to show a lack of respect to the inquiry or Lord Justice Leveson.”
All wonderful stuff. Right it is that the media should be the stars of a inquiry into media standards. We’ve had enough of reading about Hugh Grant and Sienna Miller. Let;s have straight fights between the columnists. Last dead tree press hack standing gets their own website.
One small point: why has the BBC not reported on this spat? You don’t supposed it’s a tad biased, do you..?
Posted: 27th, November 2011 | In: Reviews Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink
