Star thumbs its nose at the PCC

Here's the front page of today's Daily Star:


It's free stuff, reality TV and a bit about Muslims. It's the usual topics and presented in the usual misleading way.

The main headline, apparently an 'exclusive', says 'Cowell: My feud with Cheryl.' Yet in the accompanying article, Cowell is quoted as saying:

"No. Cheryl and I haven’t had a fight, yet!"

So the exclusive about their feud is that they haven't had one.

Just above that on the front page is the headline 'Love-rift Kara quits Strictly' which is enough to make anyone believe Strictly Come Dancing contestant Kara Tointon has quit the show.

But the headline on the accompanying article says:


So from 'quits' to 'may leave'.

Peter Dyke's article says:

Kara Tointon is feared to be on the brink of waltzing away from Strictly.

Ex-EastEnders star Kara Tointon is devastated after her dance partner Artem Chigvintsev ended their fling.

Yesterday she failed to turn up at a dress rehearsal.

Yet at the end, a BBC spokesman says:

“Kara has tonsillitis and had to cut short rehearsals on Friday and postpone her appearance on It Takes Two. She has seen a doctor and received treatment. But she is determined to dance in Saturday’s live show.”

Ah. Now whether Tointon is ill or not, the fact is she hadn't 'quit' the show when the Star published that front page.

When the PCC adjudicated against a Daily Star story on 25 September, they said:

...the Commission was particularly concerned at the lack of care the newspaper had taken in its presentation of the story.

Therefore, you might think the Star would be more careful about putting totally misleading headlines on its front page. But that would suppose the paper was concerned about that upheld complaint, or the consequences of any future PCC ruling against them.

Instead, they appear to be thumbing their nose at the ineffectual regulator.