Just two small errors: the headline and the story

September 27th, 2010 § 3 comments

The Daily Star ran a story, not too long ago. What with not reading the Daily Star very often I missed it and it has now been taken down from it’s website. This was due to two small factual errors (well, I say errors but…).

The PCC has adjudicated…

The front-page article had reported that a Rochdale shopping centre had installed “Muslim-only squat-hole loos” and that the local council had wasted “YOUR money” on them. The complainant argued that as the facilities would be available to everyone, it was inaccurate to state they were “Muslim-only”. Nor was taxpayers’ money involved, as the decision to pay for them had been taken by the shopping centre, not by the local council. The newspaper, while claiming that the toilets had been designed with Muslims in mind, nonetheless accepted that both its headline was inaccurate, and that the toilets were paid for by a private developer as opposed to the council. It removed the original article from its website and offered to publish a page 2 correction.

Once again, the PCC has excelled itself.

The Daily Star has portrayed these toilets as public. They may be open to the public, but they aren’t in the sense of the council paying for and having responsibility for them. The central claim that makes this story a story is false, because not a penny of taxpayers money was spent on them. That’s without the completely false headline. This story should just never have happened.

And what does the slavering, razor-toothed beast of a regulating body do? It accepted an offer of a page 2 correction.

This was a front page story. Shouldn’t an editor make sure that the biggest story of the day be correct? Shouldn’t a big, *ahem* ‘mistake’ like this need more than a correction hidden inside the paper when the, *ahem* ‘error’ was on the front?

This sort of ‘mistake’ shouldn’t happen. when it does, the PCC needs to be able to do more. Self regulation isn’t working.

This adjudication highlights not only the inadequacies of the PCC but also the agenda of Richard Desmonds publications, and arguably, the man himself.

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§ 3 Responses to Just two small errors: the headline and the story"

  • Carl Eve says:

    Stupid really, because “squat” toilets are used throughout Nepal and India, where the primary religion is Hinduism… Anyone with a smidgeon of knowledge of geographical history will know about the issues of India (mainly Hindu) and Pakistan and Bangladesh (mainly Muslim). So how did toilets suddenly become the ownership of a particular religion?

    Which begs the question, ‘How fucking thick are the reporters at the Daily Star?’ (rhetorical question, obviously!)

    I used squat bogs throughout my travels of India, Nepal, Thailand and Malaysia and frankly, got to love them. Admittedly, you can’t enjoy a good book while using one, like the ‘sit-upon’ Euro bogs, but physiologically they’re better for your bowels (because your knees are well above your dropping off point, if you must know, which is apparantly better for your tubes)

  • Carl Eve says:

    After a couple of months of not having a choice, you learn how to do it properly… after four months you’re so used to them that when you’re presented with European loo, you think about putting your feet on the rim for old time’s sake!
    You also get the hang of being very accurate!

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