Roy Greenslade is reporting on a backlash from the public and from other newspapers - including those very hostile to Labour.
Here's what The Sun wrote two days ago:
Blundering Mr Brown left war hero Jamie Janes's grieving mother in tears by sending her an error-filled letter of condolence in which he even mis-spelled their name.
The hand-written note to heartbroken Jacqui JANES about her 20-year-old son, began: Dear Mrs JAMES.
Good job the paper is on hand to make sure Mrs Janes' name is always correct. Oh wait:
Still, the paper - which promotes itself so heavily on its backing for 'Our Boys' - wouldn't misspell Wootton Bassett, the Wiltshire town which has held 98 repatriation ceremonies for dead soldiers:
Hmm. But at least they didn't illustrate the death of a British soldier with a picture of some grinning broadcaster:
Some people might call mistakes like those 'bloody shameful'.
(Hat-tip to fisher1980 and Harry's Place for first and third images)
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All this, however, takes the focus off the real issues!
ReplyDeleteI think it's the first time I've seen the top umpteen pages of a BBC HYS all say the same thing against the Sun and the issue in general as well.
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful! The funniest thing I've read in ages. (Not the deaths, of course, but the Sun being hypocrites in the most absurd manner.)
ReplyDeleteIn the part about Wootton Bassett, the implication is that Brown should be there when deceased soldiers return. Whoever wrote it didn't actually take the time to find out that there is an informal agreement that the party leaders do not attend these repatriation ceremonies. They do this to avoid turning the tragic death of a serviceman into a party political issue.
ReplyDeleteI guess the Sun doesn't see a problem with exploiting the death of a soldier for political gain.