Thursday 16 March 2017

Media Quotes of the Week: From judges back Daily Mail to tweet and be damned in the libel courts



Judges of the British Press Awards naming the Daily Mail Newspaper of the Year: “In the seismic year of Brexit, the battle for No.10 and campaigning journalism, the winner had its finger on the pulse of the national conversation. Not only did it shape both the agenda and the narrative it reflected the temper of a large part of the country in a year of political upheaval. It was a must-read across the political and public spectrum and its strong and provocative voice never wavered."


Ian McEwan, quoted in the Guardianon pro-Brexit politicians: “Their militant wing, the tabloid press, has started to look into the lives of the judges who rule that Brexit could result in the loss of human rights to see whether they’re homosexual or something. It’s reminiscent of Robespierre and the terror of the French revolution. The air in my country is very foul.”


Polly Toynbee in the Guardian on Brexit: "The 'framers', as usual, will be the Mail, the SunExpress and Telegraph, pouncing on any compromise, blaming foreigners who, not unreasonably, say a Brexit deal must be worse than Britain staying in. Monday’s Daily Mail, ahead of the Lords’ reprised debate, issued a typically thuggish threat across its front page: “Cover-up over ‘dodgy’ payouts to peers.” Vote the wrong way, and we’ll dig out your attendance expenses. That’s how it will be every step of the way with these true 'enemies of the people'. Theresa May, who apparently never knowingly opposes the will of the Mail, will surely give way every time. Indeed, it might save a lot of time if she simply asked Paul Dacre and Rupert Murdoch what, if any, compromises they will stomach to get a deal, and do what they say."


The Brighton Argus NUJ chapel in a statement: “As journalists we are used to facing the unexpected every day, but at present this extends beyond our roles, and we have grave concern for the future of the paper and the security of our jobs. Over the past few months members of the editorial team have faced an unprecedented amount of change – with no clear future plan in sight. The team has shrunk in the last year because of cuts made by the company and because departing staff are not being replaced...The management's decisions appear unplanned, inconsistent and made without consideration for the welfare of staff who are committed to their jobs."


Matt Dathan‏@matt_dathan on Twitter: "Asked for his reaction to this morning's newspaper headlines, Hammond responds: "I love Sun sub-editors - they're brilliant, aren't they?"


Donald J. Trump‏@realDonaldTrump on Twitter: "It is amazing how rude much of the media is to my very hard working representatives. Be nice, you will do much better!"



Owen Jones on Facebook: "I'm going to take a break from social media except to post articles and videos and the occasional events. This isn't flouncing off. It's just it has come to point where it is a) totally unproductive and b) frankly just completely and utterly depressing."

Piers Morgan‏@piersmorgan on Twitter: "Nothing more risible than media types making pompous statements about quitting Twitter.
 a) Nobody cares.
b) They always come back.


Mark Lewis who acted for Jack Monroe in her successful libel action over a tweet by Katie Hopkins, as reported by Press Gazette: “Hopkins has had to pay out of her own pocket a six-figure sum in damages and costs for a tweet that should have been deleted within minutes as soon as she was told it was wrong. On this occasion, the cost of renting that gob was particularly high. Hopkins claimed that Twitter was just the wild west where anything goes. The judge has shown that there is no such thing as a Twitter outlaw.”

Brendan O'Neill on Spiked: "The Twitterati is celebrating the court judgement because they hate Hopkins. The fools. It doesn’t matter what you think of Hopkins – you should be concerned that England has some of the worst libel laws in the world and that they have now been deployed to punish someone for making a mistake in a tweet."

Jack Monroe@MxJackMonroe on Twitter:
"Lol all the people wanging on about free speech re this case. 
"Sorry" would have been free speech. 
Like literally, free. 
Literally. FREE."

David Banks @DBanksy on Twitter: "I carry no torch for Katie Hopkins, but to face a legal bill of £300k+ for two tweets is an obscenity..."

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