Stephen Fry is wrong about Moir
There was a rather wonderful campaign on Twitter regarding a truly hateful and misinformed article by Jan Moir about the death of Boyzone singer Stephen Gately:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1220756/A-strange-lonely-troubling-death--.html
Also, Charlie Brooker wrote this
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/16/stephen-gately-jan-moir
But now, Stephen Fry has started to express sympathy for Moir after the attacks on what she said.
http://www.stephenfry.com/2009/10/19/poles-politeness-and-politics-in-the-age-of-twitter/
And even Charlie Brooker, on Twitter, has started to express sympathy for Moir.
The Daily Mail is a newpaper based on hate and insinuation. Normally it does this effectively, but delicately. There is just the whiff of bigotry, rather than the stench, and it is almost always targetted at "nasty" people, such as single mothers or immigrants, or celebrities who are out of favour.
Jan Moir's piece was perfect for the Daily Mail. But the Mail made a big editorial mistake. They picked on a celebrity who was liked, even loved, in a particular community. That has led their poisonous approach to journalism being exposed.
Fry and Brooker have absolutely nothing to be ashamed about or to apologise for. Moir, as a journalist, should have known about the general poisonous tone of the Daily Mail.
A campaign against the Daily Mail and a clearly bigoted journalist has been effective. That should not be a cause for guilt.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1220756/A-strange-lonely-troubling-death--.html
Also, Charlie Brooker wrote this
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/16/stephen-gately-jan-moir
But now, Stephen Fry has started to express sympathy for Moir after the attacks on what she said.
http://www.stephenfry.com/2009/10/19/poles-politeness-and-politics-in-the-age-of-twitter/
And even Charlie Brooker, on Twitter, has started to express sympathy for Moir.
The Daily Mail is a newpaper based on hate and insinuation. Normally it does this effectively, but delicately. There is just the whiff of bigotry, rather than the stench, and it is almost always targetted at "nasty" people, such as single mothers or immigrants, or celebrities who are out of favour.
Jan Moir's piece was perfect for the Daily Mail. But the Mail made a big editorial mistake. They picked on a celebrity who was liked, even loved, in a particular community. That has led their poisonous approach to journalism being exposed.
Fry and Brooker have absolutely nothing to be ashamed about or to apologise for. Moir, as a journalist, should have known about the general poisonous tone of the Daily Mail.
A campaign against the Daily Mail and a clearly bigoted journalist has been effective. That should not be a cause for guilt.