Monday 21 September 2009

How the Mail misleads with a headline

Here's the Mail's latest eye-catching anti-immigration headline:


And here's the first line of the story:

Two Afghan boys who were groomed by the Taliban to become suicide bombers revealed their determination to reach Britain today as they faced eviction from a notorious refugee camp in Calais.

Have you got the impression two young Afghan boys are on their way to Britain to be suicide bombers yet? Good.

Because a couple of sentences later the story changes:

And today the extraordinary story emerged of how two young Afghans who were targeted by the Taliban to become weapons against British troops are hoping to try to sneak into the UK to start a better life after their temporary home is demolished.

And then:

Najib, who has two sisters and a brother, said: 'It was not safe in my country because the Taliban were always trying to kidnap me and give me training for suicide attacks.

'They tried so many times to kidnap me. Luckily I escaped." His cousin, who has a sister and three brothers - one of them living in London - said they were desperate to get to Britain.'

He said: "My father wants me to reach the UK so I can get a good education and a better life. "In Afghanistan I cannot go out of my home because I am afraid of being kidnapped.

'If I get to the UK everything will be OK. I will be safe - and I will be alive.'

So not quite the budding suicide bombers the headline suggests. Still, the Mail have linked Afghans, immigrants and terrorists in one handy story. For them, job done.


3 comments:

  1. I see that the story was written by "MAIL FOREIGN SERVICE". I wonder if this reporter is any relation to "DAILY MAIL REPORTER"?

    Either way, I'm sure it's short for "DAILY MAIL ANTI-FOREIGNER SERVICE".

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  2. Nice to see a previous Afghan asylum seeker shot down with red arrows for saying politely that he's grateful to Britain, got a university education and now works for a living and pays taxes.

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  3. The Metro are reporting the same story this morning with a similarly misleading headline about the "Taliban Boys".

    And I thought it was better than other rags, even when considering it's free.

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