The Trouble Filled Ruling between Jan Moir and PCC

Here are the Guardian reports showing that the PCC rejected all the complaints which are over 25,000 on Jan Moir’s article concerning Stephen Gately.

However, there’s something I intend to do. I want to limit myself a bit so I won’t compare the reported ruling with the original article.

The PCC has traditionally interpreted “normally” as meaning “pretty darn near all the time”, which is why this case will present them with a major dilemma. If they concede it isn’t normal, will that lead to their code being forced into use much more widely in the future as people can complain about poor and shoddy journalism even though it doesn’t name itself? If they insist this is just another normal case, will the PCC’s reputation survive?

I remember that the previous displays of Twitter’s reach which is to encourage voting in ludicrous polls via the Daily Mail’s website were no more than a minor inconvenience. This is to strengthen the Daily Mail’s image as being a newspaper with a very particular editorial quality even though there was a silver lining for the paper. Note that having an online campaign that will result in adverts that were then pulled is another matter altogether.

The PCC: According to them, while lots of people’s complain considered that there was an underlying negative tone towards Mr. Gately and such complaints showing the fact that they were gay. However, it wasn’t possible to find any direct usage of pejorative or prejudicial language in such an article.”

Jan Moir: “Saying that the ooze of a very different and crazier lifestyle has seeped out for many people to see”.

But what lifestyle does she mean here?

Jan Moir: “Many gay activists are always calling for tolerance and for people to understand things about same-sex relationships. What this means is that he is arguing that they are just the same as heterosexual marriages. But you have to know that not everyone, they say, is like George Michael. And of course, in some cases, this may be true.”

So how gracious in the words “maybe true” and “in some cases” that “not everyone” is like George Michael? Well, whatever that means.

Jan Moir: “One other real sadness concerning Gately’s death is about how it strikes another big blow to the happy-ever-after myth of the so-called civil partnerships.”

So what’s she saying? She’s saying that all civil partnerships are doomed to ever end unhappily.

PCC: Note that Moir’s claim shows that Gately’s death had not been natural, even though controversy and speculation haven’t been established as accurate or otherwise”.

This is meant for everyone who has complained, there are two lessons here. The first is the power of individual action. This has had the taste of putting the Daily Mail newspaper on the back foot on the issue. The second is the impact of the phone calls which were made to the firms that their adverts appeared next to the article. This was a reminder that the most effective forms of any online protest usually marry online with offline activity. So we should take note!