Twitterstorm a’brewing
A storm of complaints has brewed online thanks to Charlie Brooker, Stephen Fry and our own Mr Brown. Over 800 people contacted the Press Complaints Commission about a rather foot-in-mouth article published by Jan Moir of the Daily Mail.
The article comparing Stephen Gately’s death to โnothing more than an unfortunate mishap on a holiday weekend, like a broken teacup in the rented cottageโย alarmed more than a few people. Continuing, it seemed to express that the death was likely to be suspicious, despite the coroner’s report stating otherwise, because of Gateley’s sexuality.
In a later rebuke Moir said โSome people, particularly in the gay community, have been upset by my article about the sad death of Boyzone member Stephen Gately. This was never my intention,โ
โIn what is clearly a heavily orchestrated internet campaign I think it is mischievous in the extreme to suggest that my article has homophobic and bigoted undertones,โ Moir added.
The PCC have said it will only launch an investigation if it receives a complaint from Gately’s family. The Mail have changed the article’s headline from โWhy there was nothing ‘natural’ about Stephen Gately’s deathโ to โA strange, lonely and troubling death…โ.
Charlie Brooker has called for people to be sensible on the matter; โUnchecked hysteria helps nobody. Let’s all have a lovely peaceful evening, no matter how annoyedโ after Moir’s home address began appearing online.
You can read Brooker’s article here and readย Moir’s apology here
In fairness, I’d complained this morning (and written a letter of complain to M&S about advertising alongside such poisonous piffle) long before any slebs had issued an official opinion. One of the nice things about this uproar against the Daily Mail is precisely that it ISN’T “orchestrated”, as Moir would have us believe. It’s just decent people feeling sick about someone being so cruel.
@helen: I think it’s our duty to follow @janmoir_uk just as I think we should all join the BNP when their membership guidelines are relaxed. In the tent pissing out … keep friends close, enemies closer … etc, etc?
Right, I’m off for a slightly camp curry. Hope I survive.
Charlie Brooker is my hero.
It is amazing that most of the comments are disgusted by what this journalist wrote. However in your responses you too have managed to show that you are equally as bigoted and full of hate, probably more so just because you do not agree with her choice of word’s.
They may not be the most appropriate of words, however what gives you all the moral high ground to vent hateful words towards this individual.
As the saying goes “2 wrongs don’t make a right”
And before you all start flaming me, I have no affiliation to this woman or support her comments, just pointing out the absurdity of your hate ๐
perhaps she should try being as succinct as she was when writing her apology when writing her articles. patronising in the extreme to suggest that readers had misinterpreted her intentions.
oh and it’s just hit channel 4 news. what a nasty lady.
@anonymous coward i’m not joining the BNP unless i can throw out all the blonde blue eyed people and get to be queen. lol not really, some of my best friends are blonde.
@ devils advocate its not hate its repugnance at her words.
@nelson agree, perhaps if her writing can be so ‘misinterpreted’ she should check it before she sends in her copy.
Here in Holland there was not such fuzz about his death. Only the Dutch ex got interviewed. I didn’t know the guy. Haven’t read the original article either ofcourse, but from what I read in the comment in this article posted here I don’t see much new stuff in there. Unfortunately it is really so that gay guys more often have been in the news with slight more extreme life styles, this colours more people’s pictures. But the same goes for lots of celebrities. The more in the spotlight .. and not all take fame so well.
I myself would reason at first the same .. probably had been doing drugs or such, bt it does not have to be like that.
I’ve not added her to Twitter but sent her a couple of tweets accusing her of hypocrisy for her words ‘heavily orchestrated Internet campaign’ – which was not at all dissimilar to the campaign her paper fough against Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand.
It’s the Daily Mail. I wouldn’t expect anything else from that newspaper.
I have always loved Charlie Brooker and his absulutely hilarious response to that womans shit pile of an article has made me love him even more.
One of about a zillion reasons I don’t read tabloid garbage xx
@devil’s advocate. Yes, you’re right, what gives people the right to be ‘hateful’ towards this individual. Ponders. The same right as people may feel towards racist’s, perhaps? Is it really so difficult to understand why people are so offended by this? I mean really? It was printed in a national newspaper under the guise of a social commentary. Then the journalist cries that it’s part of some orchestrated campaign, further belittling the outrage people have rightfully felt. No, it’s better to stay silent, ooh wouldn’t want to be accused of being harsh or jumping on the bandwagon.
It’s hard not to take the ‘moral high-ground’ when the original article originates at bedrock.
Complaining about this woman only draws attention to her, that is exactly what she wants! Now she is getting publicity!
My Press Complaints (Extract)
Can a precedent be made which, from here, denies Media from grossly biased opinions.
A reporter should report the facts that are given to them. We as a public should be given facts, not opinion which can be swayed by whatever Party they support, or are funded by. Or we should have it clearly defined that a paper is either a “Newspaper” or an “Opinion/Rumourpaper” and they have to apply for the status of Newspaper, and that is qualified by ‘no less than 6 months of solidly substantiated deliverance of News, factual and unbiased.
I refuse to believe in the authenticity that The Daily Mail is a newspaper
Now she has the affrontery to say that there is an orchestrated campaign against her! What a blinkered, thick skinned, bigoted, homophobic ass!
Let’s hope she never gets to write anything that goes public again…the Mail should sack her and publicly apologise!
The woman blatantly knows nothing…..how dare she??
yawn
UNDERtones?! Dearie, I don’t think you’d know what an undertone was if it jumped up and bit you on the arse.
Penis and penis do not make babies……….
She has decided to pick a fight with Stephen Fry, Boyzone, the gay community and half the UK’s twiitter users. Talk about screwing up, big time…
Sorry but the DM relish in this kind of publicity, so all this complaining isnt going to make a jot of difference as the complaint has to come from SG’s family. I mean, how many people would actually be complaining anyway if fluffy and cuddly celebs hadnt kicked up a stink about it? Do people REALLY care? Or is it just a case of “well, my fave celeb disagrees with it”? Makes one wonder.
@Paul B: Can you really make a living doing that?
@Ads: Cabbage and cabbage do not make babies either….what does that have to do with anything?
Here is my letter of complaint.. I mean every word. RIP
I have met teachers in Africa, who rely on tourism to fund their mud-hut schools- and as an added bonus, they sometimes get paid. I have seen such desparation and such legths that people can go to to earn a living- and then I click through to a link to this desgusting article. A woman.. well, I say woman.. who gets paid, I presume, rather handsomley for writing such hatred, sickening, vicious ‘articles’. I for one, would pay her not to. Has she no sence of decency? To harass a man in his grave, to add to the pain and frustration of the bereved. Whatever distorted perceptions she holds about homosexuality, death, celebrities.. she is clearly not sane, but where were the regulations to restrain this creature. I hope she is sickened with herself in the same way she has sickened so many others- I hope she feels like she has just drunk some putrid, fetid, rotten leaf juice and maybe she might develop empathy for the pain of others. She understands nothing about homosexuality, death or indeed writing. I am not a cyber-bully, her discrimination and disgust she expresses towards homosexuality earns her this attrocious attention. This is not orchestrated- I have not been hypnotised by Derren Brown to wrote this- SHE has provoked this, SHE has caused this overwhealming amount of complaints. SHE is far more tragic than a broken tea-cup, I am slowly beginning to feel sorry for her. But ultimatley, this shouldn’t be about her, or her detracting attention from the mourning of the late Steven Gatley.
as she has breeched the following codes:
I would like nothing more right now than for Jan Moir to fly past my window on her broomstick, so that I can throw a bucket of water over her and listen to her shrieking, “I’M MELTING, I’M MELTING!!!” I think it can safely be said that Stephen Gately’s death was a little more tragic than ‘breaking a teacup in a rented cottage’. (Where the hell did she pull that analogy from??? The woman’s not only an insensitive cow, she’s also got no journalistic talent!)
Would like to mention a quote from the awesome Russell Howard: “The Daily Mail…Racist in public, so you don’t have to be.” ๐
There’s little respect for everyone these days… Dead or Alive.
(I had a really wierd dream about you and three others the other day. Woke up terrifide.)
I’m glad mr Charlton Brooker ripped that bitch to shreds..
I’m so tired of the magnified scrutiny of the tabloid celeb reveal crap & the journalist opinion on how someone should live their life.. for so long now the world of celebrity/ showbiz has been a one way mirror, about time the reflection was turned back on the opinionistic fuckwit journos spouting this right wing homophobic ‘family values’ nonsense..
On the way to uni this morning I was applauding this man for his sensitive and insightful views on gay guys being great conversationalists.. http://tiny.cc/justin_bateman_metro
Shame she couldn’t take a leaf out of this guys book!
Beliefs like that are unfathomable. I can’t believe that in this day and age bigotry and pure ignorance can still be printed in a national newspaper. It holds no credence or justice. The poor man’s dead, and he’s left behind family and friends who obviously held him in high regard and love him dearly. THAT’S the real testament of an individual, enough said!
I wonder how many will say the same about Ms Moir when she’s kicked the barrel.
Oh – and that snide and malicious – yes that’s it – MALICIOUS and underhanded comment about gay marriages; newsflash: straight married couples cheat on each other regularly!!!!!
Jaw dropping stuff; I’m surprised that a newspaper could get away with publishing this kind of content that is so clearly just whipping up hatred. So, Jan Moir – bigot, homophobe, both or neither? Vote at http://www.votemoir.com ๐ I kinda know which ones are going to be the most popular responses…
this is disgusting. I cant believe homophobic comments like these are still happening.
thank you derren, for supporting these complaints, you are amazing as ever! ๐
xxxxxxx
You could tell the Daily Fail realised the shit hit the fan as soon as the changed the title from “…a not so natural death” or something or other to “a strange, lonely, troublesome death”.
Then M&S I think have now cut their advertising, and so began the frivolous back tracking.
That “apology” was as sorry an excuse for journalism as was that sleazy (yes I am fighting her back with her own words), bigoted stream of her own prejudices.
And the worst thing about this is…she is probably revelling in all this attention, as is the paper itself. This isn’t the first time they have published BS like this, and it won’t be the last.
SG – wee soul. x
for everyone who has gone completely overboard about the article…WHAT A COMPLETE DISGRACE YOU ARE!!! If you’re gay (like I am, and very happy and faithful) or not, GET A GRIP! some woman working for a tabloid said something about a homosexual that was in a boyband and suddenly you think it’s a complete attack against homosexuality? WHO CARES WHAT SHE THINKS! in all honesty if you’re controlled by what she’s said that just shows how small minded a human being you are, something was printed. end of, anyone who knew him will most likely know he was a great guy, I don’t know, I never knew him. most didn’t so don’t pretend you did, you’re worse
On what planet does raking over the same points that caused offence in the first place count as an apology?
The only reason I’m not fussed whether or not Jan Muir gets sacked is I don’t want her style of journalism infecting other better quality newspapers. The Daily Mail is like a handy holding cell for journalists no-one else would touch with a 40 foot pole.
For a rough guide to a Daily mail view on the world, here’s a handy glossary of terms…
http://www.angrymob.uponnothing.co.uk/daily-mail-dictionary
Almost to the day 10 years ago, Stephen Gately, in an effort to forestall The Sun’s supposed expose of him, Stephen came out, before they could out him. I remember sitting watching him and Ronan on stage cameras flashing. I remember thinking how brave, with all he had to lose. Dignity, perhaps money, perhaps the love of his friends etc… There I sat tears in my eyes and at that moment I decided if Stephen, with all he had to lose could do it. Then fuckit so could I. Although he never knew me, and never will and I will be nothing but a blip in the life of most, I have a life that I now enjoy fully. So thanks Stephen, thank you so much
x
Do not feed the troll that is the Daily Mail. Just like late night talk radio shows, they intentionally publish extreme views just to provoke a reaction. They thrive on this. The natural response is, “Oh my god! That news paper shouldn’t be allowed to publish such lies. I know, I’ll write them a letter, or post on their website”. What is this really doing though? It’s like putting some super-unleaded in their fuel tank. Don’t worry though. It’s not real, it’s only a newspaper.
Reading everyones interesting comments. Theres a lot to be learned from this.
Put simply, its just bad journalism. The article is a load of crap, its not based on any facts what so ever, and the writing is mince. However, this hole situation does highlight the inconsistancies in polictical correctnes. What i take from this is its ok to slag off homosexuals, but make a comment/joke about the percentage of melanin in someones skin, and its off to the job centre for you my friend. Bahh Bahh Bahh Sheep.
At the end of the day… What do you really expect from the Daily Mail. All I can say is shame on Jan, shame on her. So narrow minded
What a horrible article!
My cousin died in a similar way; he vomited during a epileptic fit and drowned. It was an accident and there was no suspicious circumstances. It happens!
Mr Gately seemed to be a lovely guy – was there really a necessity for The Mail to write such vile, hurtful things?
Do to her what they do to any other public figure that causes monumental public upset – give her the sack!
To see this controversy from a different perspective, have a look at:
http://williamsatirejr.blogspot.com/2009/10/strange-lonely-and-troubling-death.html
I wonder if, after reading it, Jan Moir may see what everyone’s point was!
Sign the no 10 Downing Street Petition to make the PCC a Public Body!
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/makePCCPublic/
Following the article in the Daily Mail on Friday 16th October by Jan Moir in relation to the death of Stephen Gately, the PCC received over 21,000 complaints; however the chairman the Code committee for the PCC is currently the editor of the Daily Mail Paul Dacre.
As the formula one boss Max Mosley said when giving evidence to the culture, media and sport committee at the House of Commons รขโฌล”It’s like putting the mafia in charge of the local police station. You can’t let them regulate themselves.”
The PCC was weakened by
It’s not an apology (see link above)! She’s an ignorant cow and should be fired.