View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Comment
October 3, 2013

Miliband/Mail furore may have fatally weakened Fleet Street’s hand on press regulation at a crucial juncture

By Dominic Ponsford

The furore surrounding the Mail's coverage of Ralph Miliband and now the Mail on Sunday's doorstepping of a Miliband family memorial service may have fatally weakened Fleet Street's hand on the future of press regulation at a crucial juncture.

One has to wonder if all this could have been defused if Mail editor Paul Dacre had asserted his paper's right to fair comment but admitted that the seemingly factual conclusion made by a headline writer was, with hindsight, over the top.

Geoffrey Levy’s piece in the Daily Mail on Saturday was comment (and appeared next to the leader), although it was tagged ‘Saturday report’. But the headline said:

The man who hated Britain: Red Ed's pledge to bring back socialism is a homage to his Marxist father. So what did Miliband Snr really believe in? The answer should disturb everyone who loves this country.”

Ed Miliband felt this was a slur on his late father’s name and was afforded a right of reply by the Mail on Tuesday. Among other things, Miliband noted that his late father fought for Britain against the Nazis on D-Day.

The Mail responded by accusing the Leader of the Opposition of dishonesty.

Yesterday the Mail said: “while it is certainly astute PR for the Labour leader to present his complaint against the Daily Mail in purely personal and emotional terms, it is also a mite disingenuous”.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

And today columnist Stephen Glover accused Miliband of “calculated hysteria” and “legerdemain” (trickery or sleight of hand).

As editor-in-chief of the Mail on Sunday, Dacre's position has not been helped by news that a journalist from that paper approached mourners for comment about the current furore at a private memorial service for Ed Miliband’s uncle.

It was already looking unlikely that the Privy Council would approve the publishing industry-backed press regulation plan set out in the Pressbof Royal Charter when it meets next week.

In the feverish atmosphere generated by the Miliband versusMail row the Privy Council (which is essentially an instrument to carry out the will of the Government) may well be more minded to approve Parliament’s Royal Charter for a statute-backed system of press regulation.

Then publishers will either have to go back and substantially rethink the Independent Press Standards Organisation, which they are on the brink of signing up to, or else ignore the Government and leave themselves open to the threat of exemplary damages in future civil legal claims.

Topics in this article : , ,

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network