Readers
of Now magazine who happened to pick up the Daily Star last Thursday
may have had a nagging sense of déjà vu when reading its interview with
Chris Evans.
That’s because the quotes – all 10 pars of them –
had been lifted lock, stock and barrel, without so much as a mention of
the IPC magazine they were pinched from.
Dog is sure the lack of
attribution was a simple oversight – and nothing to do with the fact
that Now ‘s rivals OK! , Star and New are also published by Daily Star
owner Richard Desmond.
Still, at least they didn’t have the temerity to label it “Exclusive”.
Related
Paper that’s worth its weight in gold
News that the China Economic Daily has produced what it claims to be
the world’s first newspaper made of gold brought a few memories back
for Press Gazette columnist Jeffrey Blyth. He recalls that the Daily
Mail produced a gold-ink souvenir edition for the Coronation in 1953 –
he still has a copy of the 12- page broadsheet, in which he is bylined,
priced at 18d.
Content from our partners
The Chinese effort is a little more expensive. There are two
editions: one using 500 grams of gold priced at 69,000 yuan (about
£4,500) and another using 200 grams of gold priced at 29,000 yuan
(£1,900).
STANDARD OPENS PANDORA’S BOX
Outrage over Labour’s “flying pigs” posters hasn’t just been confined to Westminster.
The Independent and the Evening Standard are also at loggerheads.
Guy Adams, who writes the Indy ‘s Pandora diary, broke the story on 28
January of how Labour had been accused of anti-Semitism by
superimposing Michael Howard and Oliver Letwin’s faces on to pictures
of flying pigs. Later that day, it was the splash on the Standard .
What
really got Adams seething was the appearance of a full-page Standard
backgrounder piece on Tuesday 8 February claiming the tale as its own
exclusive.
Adams emailed Standard political editor Joe Murphy and
asked him to amend the claim for later editions. Murphy responded that
“the traditions of fairness extended to journalistic rivals will be
followed to the letter!” No changes were made.
So Adams complained to editor Veronica Wadley, whose response was more concilatory.
“I take your point. The original poster story was indeed your diary lead. Apologies.”
This
was followed by a note to Adams from the Standard ‘s Paul Waugh
explaining that the paper was already onto the story when the Indy
printed it.
Adams responded: “You can’t do something
‘exclusively’ if someone else has already done it. You know this as
well as anyone else. To continue to peddle this bollocks – once I’d
emailed Joe Murphy – is downright dishonest. It amounts to an attempt
to falsely take credit for one of the biggest political stories of the
last fortnight.
“I thought, perhaps wrongly, that the quality press was supposed to rise above the grotty antics of our red-top colleagues.”
Hell hath no fury like a diarist uncredited.
Mail’s Mr Wright has got it wrong
Mail on Sunday editor Peter Wright is noted for his poor grasp of names and faces when it comes to remembering his own staff.
When Lord Rothermere held a drinks bash to honour all the Associated
Newspapers reporters and photographers who had worked behind the lines
in Iraq, MoS snapper Michael Thomas was inexplicably left off the guest
list. Thomas had been the MoS staffer who did more tours of duty in the
region than any of his colleagues, so representations were made and an
invitation to the reception was hastily dispatched.
With the
reception in full swing Peter Wright spotted Thomas, a slender New
Zealander with a full head of hair, mingling with other guests.
Bounding
up to his startled photographer the editor thrust out his hand and
cried: “Hello, you must be Andrew Gilligan.” It’s a difficult mistake
to make, since the portly, balding and bespectacled Gilligan, who now
works for the Evening Standard, has had more than his fair share of
exposure on television and in the newspapers over the past eighteen
months.
Wood is seeing red over traffic light ticking-off
Stephen Wood, executive editor of Condé Nast Traveller , is not a
man given to travelling in style in his own country. He goes everywhere
by bicycle.
So he was not best pleased when he was given an on-the-spot fine for
jumping traffic lights near Buckingham Palace the other night.
“I have been seething now for approximately 14 hours,” he told Dog.
“I
stopped at two sets of traffic lights at the Buckingham Palace end of
the Mall, and then in both cases pedalled off just before the lights
had changed. A policewoman saw this heinous crime, proceeded to pull me
over and give me a £30 fine and a lecture about how I was a danger to
tourists – who, in the dark, at 6.45 on a January evening, were not in
evidence.
Wood has always preferred his humble bicycle to other
means of transport, and commutes 60 miles a week on it between his home
in south-east London and work.
“I ride a bicycle because I’m lazy,” he claims.
“Commuting by any other form of transport takes longer. The bike allows me to stay in bed a little longer in the morning.”
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a wacky newspaper stunt.
When the local council refused to go into an elderly lady’s home to
collect an old TV set which she wanted to get rid of, Cambs Times news
editor John Elworthy had a flash of inspiration straight out of the
pages of the Daily Planet .
“Get Peter Parker and Lois Lane down there now,” he yelled at the newsdesk, presumably while munching on a fat cigar.
Faster
than a speeding bullet, junior reporter Louise Hughes and trainee
reporter Ian Ray leapt into the nearest phone box and emerged as
Spiderman and Superwoman [presumably a mature version of Superman’s
cousin, Supergirl – ed].
Wheeling an old telly out into the
street is hardly duelling with Lex Luthor or Doctor Octopus. But it
still beats working for a living.
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