Monday 1 February 2010

Mail stumbles over wounded soldier



In my mission to bring you witty insights into the UK media I have had to make some sacrifices. The most painful has been buying and reading The Daily Mail on a regular basis in favour of my beloved Guardian.

Every morning I face the acute embarrassment that comes with handing over a copy of the paranoid, delusional 'preserve of Middle England' to my local newsagent, who gives me a knowing wink and a breathless mutter of "bloody immigrants".

During the last two months of reading I have made an astounding discovery - The Daily Mail doesn't like Gordon Brown. Shocking I know. Page after page of the paper is devoted to the PM's latest cock-ups, which range from the spurious - accusations of assaulting his staff - to the truthful - the furore surrounding MPs' expenses.

The Labour Party leader has been widely barracked in the press from both sides of the political spectrum since he succeeded Tony Blair. So much of this criticism is warranted. But today the Daily Mail's online editor got a little bit too excited.

This morning, the newspaper published a story on its website revealing that Brown held a photo-call with Derek Derenalagi - a private in the 2nd Mercians who lost both legs in Afghanistan.

The former Fijian rugby player, who now hopes to compete in the London 2012 Paralympics, was visiting Downing Street to promote a St George's Day rugby match set-up to raise funds for the charity Help For Heroes.

However, during the promotional exercise Derenalagi took a tumble on the steps of Number 10 and had to be helped back on to his prosthetic legs by Brown.

The Daily Mail choose to publish this story under the headline - Help for a Hero: Another PR setback for Gordon Brown as wounded serviceman falls on steps of Downing Street.

It read: "This morning a well-meaning photo-call for the Help For Heroes charity went awry when a soldier who lost both legs in Afghanistan took a dramatic tumble on the steps of No 10.

"With the government under constant criticism for its treatment of servicemen and veterans, the sight of the prime minister having to help Derek Derenalagi, up from the floor was probably not the upbeat image the Number 10 press office was hoping for."

Berating Gordon Brown for the state of the economy, the war in Afghanistan and the health of the NHS is understandable. Referring to the unfortunate stumble of paraplegic servicemen on the steps of Number 10 as a public relations setback is downright offensive.

The Daily Mail is beginning to become a parody of itself. Well known for its views on immigration, which are more conservative than the Nazi Party's, the paper is so caught up in its own hatred that it has forgotten the golden rule of journalism - objectivity.

Some potential Daily Mail stories to look out for next week:

Exclusive: Brown killed Diana!
The Daily Mail has uncovered secret evidence linking Gordon Brown to the death of the people's princess.

Bungling PM responsible for dinosaur extinction
For decades scientists have debated the cause of dinosaurs' sudden disappearance 60 million years ago. But now the Mail can reveal that newly discovered fossils place Gordon Brown as the prime cause of extinction.

Brown causes cancer!
A senior aide to the prime minister has told the Daily Mail that Gordon Brown has the power to instantly cause cancer through the power of touch.

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