Dacre says Mail doesn't do churnalism. Oh really?

When Paul Dacre, Editor of the Daily Mail, gave evidence at the 'Press standards, privacy and libel' hearings, he was asked about 'churnalism' - journalism which is simply reheated press releases and wire copy, churned out with little/no journalistic talent.

It 'applies to some newspapers' he said, pointing the finger at the local press and Richard Desmond. But he said:

'I refute that charge of the Daily Mail'.

And he went on to say the Mail and some of its 'worthy competitors' are 'not guilty' of the charge.

Got that? Good.

So let's look at Daily Mail Reporter's If you thought your name was bad, spare a thought for Barb Dwyer, Paige Turner, Stan Still and Terry Bull from 26 February 2010. It says:

Next time you introduce yourself or sign your name, spare a thought for Barb Dwyer and Paige Turner. They are among those honoured with having the most bizarre and embarrassing names in Britain, according to a survey. Researchers spent a month scouring the UK's online phone records to find those for whom meeting new people or showing their credit card in a shop is likely to be an ordeal.

It goes on to quote Stan Still, who says:

'My name has been a blooming millstone around my neck my entire life. When I was in the RAF my commanding officer used to shout "Stan Still, get a move on!" and roll about laughing. It got hugely boring after a while.'

At which point, Mail anoraks might think they've heard that anecdote before. They'd be right.

Because one year and one day ago, in the Mail, Luke Salkeld's At least no one will forget you Justin Case: The most unfortunate names in Britain told the same story. Exactly the same story:

Perhaps their parents had a wicked sense of humour. But for the children saddled with a comical name, the joke can wear a little thin. Stan Still, 76, said his name 'has been a blooming millstone around my neck my entire life'...Mr Still, a former RAF man from Cirencester, Gloucestershire, said yesterday: 'When I was in the RAF my commanding officer used to shout, "Stan Still, get a move on" and roll about laughing. It got hugely boring after a while.'

Hugely boring indeed.

So have the hacks at the Mail been looking through old papers for noteworthy anniversaries and thought this story was good enough to use again?

Who knows. But what we do know is that these stories are definitely churnalism.

Both articles say these names have come from a study conducted by The Baby Website. Their press release 'Silly Names' was written in February 2009.

It begins:

Next time you sign your name spare a thought for Justin Case, Barb Dwyer and Anna Sasin. The incredibly unfortunate names emerged in our study of the most bizarre names in Britain today.

And the Mail's 2010 article begins:

Next time you introduce yourself or sign your name, spare a thought for Barb Dwyer and Paige Turner. They are among those honoured with having the most bizarre and embarrassing names in Britain, according to a survey.

Hmm. The press release:

When the parents of some of those people mentioned named their children, many probably didn’t even realise the implications at the time.

There must be tremendous embarrassment every time they have to introduce themselves to anyone, especially to a crowd. Even their teachers must have had to hold back their smiles sometimes.

On the positive side, anyone wanting to become well-known would have an added advantage… No-one would forget a name such as Justin Case, would they?

Parents really do need to think carefully though when choosing names for their children.

The Mail in 2009:

A spokesman for www.thebabywebsite.com, which compiled the list, said: 'When the parents of some of those people mentioned named their children, many probably didn't even realise the implications at the time. 'There must be tremendous embarrassment every time they have to introduce themselves. Even their teachers must have had to hold back their smiles sometimes. 'On the positive side, anyone wanting to become well known would have an added advantage. No one would forget a name such as Justin Case, would they?'

The Mail in 2010:

A spokesman said: 'There must be tremendous embarrassment every time they have to introduce themselves to anyone, especially to a crowd. 'Even their teachers must have had to hold back their smiles sometimes. Parents really do need to think carefully when choosing names for their children.'

An anonymous spokesman who doesn't really exist, but is used to regurgitate whole chunks of a press release? Imagine that.

Although the press release doesn't include the Stan Still story, they borrowed (ahem) that from the BBC website.

So not only is this classic churnalism, but it's reheating a year-old press release that they actually covered a year ago and which has no 'new' info in at all.

What was that about 'refuting that charge' of churnalism again, Mr Dacre?

(Hat-tip Iain Stuart)