MailOnline publisher claims showbiz isn't that important to his site

The Press Gazette carried a few surprising statements from Martin Clarke, publisher of MailOnline, yesterday. As the Mail hit a record for monthly hits for a newspaper website (29.8 million) he:

dismissed suggestion[s] that success of the website was down simply to the volume of show business and celebrity stories it carries....

'It does annoy me that people say its all driven by search and showbiz stories because it’s actually not driven by either.'

And then the key line - and don't laugh:

'News is far more important to us that showbiz.'

Of course, the Mail's version of 'news' is deliberately misleading articles about immigrants (over and over) and stupid stories about wheelie bins.

But for Clarke to downplay the showbiz angle is disingenuous at best, at outright lie at worst.

There has clearly been a deliberate attempt to ramp up the slebs in swimwear paparazzi pictures and other Z-list gossip over the past few years. And there's no way the Mail of old would have run extended ads for (sorry, newsworthy features about photoshoots in) Playboy.

At time of writing there one of the lead Femail picture stories is a Twitter pic of someone called Kim Kardashian in her pants.

Scroll down a bit further and there is someone called Blake Lively in a 'mini skirt and plunging neckline' and current FHM covergirl Pixie Lott showing off her cleavage.

Or the story that was all over the website a day or so ago about Britney Spears and her sister showing off their 'impressive bikini bodies.'

And perhaps Clarke would like to explain precisely where the 'important news' is in the article from a week ago about the big breasted, blonde Big Brother housemate wrestling in oil in her bikini - complete with five pictures.

But remember:

'News is far more important to us that showbiz.'