Dear Will Payne at the Daily Mirror,
If you’re going to run a big exposé about how an MP’s wife is working as a prostitute, do you think it might be worth mentioning before the very last line of the article that the couple separated in February (before the MP in question had even entered Parliament)?
I realise that, had you made it clearer, it would have been obvious that you only ran the story in a cheap and rather sad attack on the Tories, and to have the excuse to print pictures of the woman in question in her underwear.
I also appreciate that, had you mentioned it earlier, it would have been obvious you were suggesting a man should control the actions of his wife after they’ve separated, a view I suspect not everyone in your Labour party would share.
Perhaps you’d like to explain what actions you think the MP in question should have taken. Do you perhaps think he should have spent his time stalking his ex-partner on the off-chance that she might have become a prostitute and then, upon discovering the truth, confronted her Victorian patriarch-style with a “what will the tabloids think” speech?
I know the standard of your journalism over the last few months hasn’t exactly been stellar, from your paper’s comical interpretation of opinion polls in the General Election onwards. And, with a certain story about William Hague also doing the rounds, you may simply be working hard to retain your position as the paper with the lowest standards in Britain.
But, if I may make a suggestion, there is another way.
Plenty of newspapers and magazines manage to print pictures of women in (and out of) their underwear without running bizarre stories attacking MPs, so if that’s what you want to do then go ahead and do it. Your arch rival The Sun, for all its faults, is at least honest and up front about that one.
And there are many opportunities to oppose and attack the government without exposing yourselves as a dodgy rag devoid of even the slightest whiff of journalistic principle.
Yours,
Iain Roberts
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38 Comments
Whose, not who’s
Yes “The Sun” is definitely “up front” about that one.
Andrea – thank you, now corrected.
The Mirror’s report on Cyril Smith’s death was pretty unpleasant too.
I didn’t know the Mirror still existed… Are there people who still read Andy Capp? I thought it had followed the Morning Star into the grave yard.
With the Labour Party more right wing than the Tories these days I’m surprised there is any point.
I wonder if Ms Hardman has noticed how THEY exploit wimin yet, or if she ony does that when a paper comes out against her party?
Iain why do you feel the need to rush to the defence of every Tory that comes under attack from the media? Why the need to mention the Labour party, in connection with this story? You might as well just join the Tory party, or get Clegg to speed up the amalgamation.
Instead of focussing on a minor story about a minor MP, I’d be more worried about the New York Times investigation in the the Prime Minister’s communications director. This is somebody who is accused of having knowledge of, and encouraging, the use of illegal methods to access other peoples voicemail, including that of former cabinet ministers. Do you want to endorse a government which employs such people (and pays them more than the deputy PM) in important roles?
G: Perhaps you’ve missed our regular coverage of the Andy Coulson story on this site?
Ha, I didn’t accuse you of not covering it (although he has been described as a ‘Tory’ and ‘David Cameron’s’ – accurate, but unreflective of the fact he ultimately works for the coalition), just that some unpleasantness from The Mirror isn’t the most pressing issue concerning press conduct at the moment.
Blogs are not news portals. Nor are they space-restricted. Iain can write about one subject without disinterest in or tacit approval for other subjects being inferred by his current silence.
Plus, he’s being consist in his disgust at Paul Staines’ treatment of Myers and Hague and now his disdain at The Mirror. Even though a mere two months prior to the election is not sufficient to disentangle a candidate from a spouse (separated presumably doesn’t mean divorced), it really is beholden on The Mirror to demonstrate that Weatherby has taken specifically an ardently anti-prostitution line.
Did it? Otherwise, it comes across as titilatory. Chris Huhne, for instance, was eager to portray himself as husband and father.
Still, Iain’s crowbaring in Labour was quite crass.
~alec
Kehaar, fair points. Not sure comparisons with Staines work though, that was about innuendo in the place of evidence used to smear a politician, nobody is denying the facts presented by The Mirror and you can make an argument (not necessarily one I’d agree with) that it is in the public interest to know if events in an MP’s private life impairs their ability to adequately represent their constituents.
Strange that Mr Roberts is so exercised over this Tory MP but not the one at Sandwell who defected to Labour. A story with much more purely ‘political’ relevance I would have thought.
Yes, before anyone points it out I realize that the Tory at Sandwell who defected was a councillor, not an MP!
The Mirror is a tawdry rag shocker!
Have to agree with you Mack. You would think that as Iain is a prominent local councillor local political news would be of interest to him. Whether in his ‘back-yard’ or not.
G: The Coulson story has been covered this week (and many times previously), whilst the story about the Mirror has been covered just the once. And anyway, don’t you think the question of media standards of the story highlighted in this post (bury a key fact at the end, look for tenuous reasons to print photos of women in their underwear) in the tabloids is an important issue? Perhaps you don’t, but I’m surprised if you really can’t see how others might take a different view on that.
G, I agree that many on LDV and the LibDem power structures are displaying somewhat of a insouciance towards their prospects and desire to talk about flimflam in the face of this eventual moment of realization.
There should be no dichotomy between expressing disdain both for The Mirror and Paul Staines [1]. On this news event, however, I think Iain is broadly correct: Weatherby is quite a minor Tory MP, and it should be the responsibility of The Mirror to demonstrate there was a hypocrisy in his campaign.
On the other hand, Iain’s lack of blogging interest in a major local government event is more puzzling than were I to ignore a Labour Party friendship pact with Than Shwe or donations from Kim Jong-il.
~alec
==========================
[1] I refuse to call him Guido Fawkes. At least Fawkes was prepared to die, whilst Staines employs solicitors to shut-down free discussion of his attendance at events in the South African Embassy during the 1980s.
He thinks of himself as the last free man in Britain, bravely opposing state power, but from my end he comes across as a bigot as well as unrepentant drink driver. Similar goes for that fat old racist Old Holborn who couldn’t even gain 146 votes at a General Election, and considers the Protocols of the Elders of Zion to be an accurate portrayal of Mossad operations (when, as we all know, it’s the Protocols of the Elders of Capel Seion which is fact).
Mark Pack, thanks for the reply – but when writing a story about prostitutes it’s hardly tenuous to consider a woman in their underwear a suitable illustration! Even the high minded broadsheets do it on occasion.
“Iain why do you feel the need to rush to the defence of every Tory that comes under attack from the media?”
This is starting to get rather noticeable. Especially considering the glee with which the LDV staff used to post every little bit of dirt they could find relating to Tory politicians, great and small.
The mirror is just as bad a paper as the Mail, in fact for actual lies they may be ahead.
They ran a story shortly after the election about how Mrs Cameron was insisting on a new kitchen at No 10 and what a waste of public money this was. Didn’t mention of course that the Camerons were paying for it themselves.
Only a matter of time before their lie machine turns on the lib dems.
G: … and are similarly wrong when they do 🙂 The Telegraph used to be particularly notable amongst broadsheets for finding reasons to print photos of attractive women alongside stories, though of course it being a broadsheet they had some standards – more clothing!
So we shouldn’t be defending Tories?
Sorry, I’m confused; can any of our resident Labour voters confirm their implication that respect and decency are not universally deserved, but partisan political issues?
Kehaar – I don’t normally blog about councillors switching between parties – something that happens quite often between all parties. I did tweet the news, but didn’t have anything sufficiently worthwhile putting in a blog post.
jayu/Anthony – Over the last couple of months I’ve written about media attacks on Harman, Laws, Hague and now this one. The common factor isn’t (as you might guess from the list) the party being attacked but the attack itself. Prior to the coalition forming I also defended Tory politicians when I felt it was right to do it.
Odd as it may seem, I’m of the opinion that the vast majority of politicians from all parties work hard, do a decent job and deserve better than tabloid smears.
I don’t intend to ignore this sort of story when I see it just because people with their own political agenda choose to believe otherwise.
Let’s face it the Mirror is just a poor person’s version of `Pravda`. It’s full of Labour hacks that bow down to Ali Campbell every morning.
People ask me `why not join Labour?` – it’s this sort of very tribal arrogant and brutalistic attack (which I had to endure when I stepped down from the Council for having the temerity to ask their local leader a question at Full Council) that would stop me from EVER joining them. Why should we be surprised though when they act like children and don’t engage with the electorate on economic matters?
I read the Mirror article the other day – and wondered whether it could possibly be true. I confess I missed the bit about them separating. But that is separating, not divorced, and they mention several times – but don’t show – a supposed photgraph at the house “two months ago” – presumably in July.
I think there’ll be more to be revealed about this – which ever way it pans out.
Can’t really see what it has to do with Labour myself. Or the LibDems tbh
Good on you Iain, sock it to those gutter-press weasels.
The connection to labour is pretty obvious. The mirror is a solidly Labour paper. Iain pointed out that labour would usually condemn people for suggesting that a man should be controlling what his ex-wife is doing. This makes it hypocrisy for the mirror to loudly support labour values and then to completely ignore them when the opportunity comes to smear a tory. It’s hardly an orange tory anti-labour conspiracy to mention the party’s name at that point in the article.
And Lib Dem Voice has been commenting on the Andy Coulson story, and also gave “half a defence” of guido fawkes’ attack on hague, so accusations of pro-tory bias are ridiculous. It seems some people on here see any resemblance of even-handed treatment of labour and conservative politicians as hideous pro-tory bias, presumably because tories are of necessity evil and so any attacks are fine.
Well I suppose attacking the Daily Mirror, is the only thing left for the Lib Dems. It is nice to know, they are on the same page as Rupert Murdoch.
Matthew: how do you explain the recent pieces on this blog critical of News International titles then?
Labour supporters are very very very tribal shock, horror.
That’s the only possible conclusion from reading any comments on any website on any political story at the moment.
When Labour were in power they were being individually villified by the media day after day. I didn’t notice the Blue and Orange Tories protesting about journalistic standards then. Now it’s happening to you and you don’t like it. Tough! Welcome to Grown Ups land! If you want to close down Labour’s only supportive newspaper why don’t you have the guts to say so?
MacK: if you didn’t notice such protesting you must have missed quite a few posts on this site then when Labour was in power 🙂
MacK, you don’t see the irony in name calling being a prominent feature of ‘adult land’?
I’ve recently been reading a book, Things Can Only Get Better by, Spitting Image writer and Labour supporter, John O’Farrell; I can’t recommend it enough as a timely insight into the emotional response of Labour members and the flaws of their psyche.
@Andrew Tennant
Is that of every member? And you lot have the cheek to accuse Labour members of collective bile.
And before anyone mentions it, yes I can see the irony of my comment!
“Well I suppose attacking the Daily Mirror, is the only thing left for the Lib Dems. It is nice to know, they are on the same page as Rupert Murdoch.”
“When Labour were in power they were being individually villified by the media day after day. I didn’t notice the Blue and Orange Tories protesting about journalistic standards then. Now it’s happening to you and you don’t like it. Tough! Welcome to Grown Ups land! If you want to close down Labour’s only supportive newspaper why don’t you have the guts to say so?”
““Iain why do you feel the need to rush to the defence of every Tory that comes under attack from the media?”
All these comments are pretty much the same and they all have no basis in fact. Actually look back through the lists of published articles if no-one believes me.
They all seem to share the mindset that any attack on any labour or labour leaning figure is evil bias and all criticism of tories no matter how weak or tawdry is always correct. This logic brought to you by the party that considers making all votes of equal worth gerrymandering.
“Well I suppose attacking the Daily Mirror, is the only thing left for the Lib Dems. It is nice to know, they are on the same page as Rupert Murdoch.”
And since when was criticising for standards at a tabloid evidence of wanting to shut it down? Are all those attacks on Murdoch owned tabloids and attempt at censorship? No, obviously. This logic is so flawed I don’t even know where to begin.
@Mark Pack
I didn’t realize that this excellent site existed until the Orange Tories formed a pact with the Blue Tories.
@Stephen W
The implication is that the story should have been spiked — i.e. closed down.
@ Andrew Tennant
You should have taught on some of the housing estates that I experienced. The people there were all very adult and their name calling would have made some of the rarefied, senior common room types who post on this site run for the hills. Get real.
In fact the Mirror alleges that Weatherley’s wife worked as a prostitute in Brazil before she married him, so there is a tad more legitimacy in the story than Iain Roberts alleges. But not much, assuming you are genuinely liberal. Might embarrass stuffier Tories, though, who may well call Weatherley’s judgement into question.