The Irish edition of the Mail on Sunday published several thousand copies today with a spoof wrap-around as if it was the Sunday Tribune, the title that went into receivership last week.
It masqueraded as the Tribune by reproducing its masthead, as the picture above illustrates. Unsurprisingly, it outraged the Tribune's editor, Nóirín Hegarty, who called it "pernicious" and "a false representation".
And here's a response to Roy's article from Frederico01:
I speak as one of the poor suckers who was duped into buying it this morning. On the run I picked up a copy of the Sunday Business Post and the Sunday Times....I saw "The Tribune" there and thought that it must have been a creative initiative by the journalists at the paper to keep the flag flying for the next few weeks. As a friend of mine works there I picked it up.
When I got home I almost spewed when I realised the con, and let's face it that's what it was. I will never buy a copy of the Mail in any form after this, nor a single of chips that is wrapped in it. Disgusting.
UPDATE (7 Feb) - Thanks to Liz Church for highlighting the latest development on this story:
Ireland's edition of the Mail on Sunday faces prosecution over its cover that bore the masthead of the rival Sunday Tribune.
The Irish republic's National Consumer Agency confirmed it was investigating complaints against Associated Newspapers' Irish operation.
In a statement released on Monday the agency said: "Following further consideration, the National Consumer Agency is now considering a prosecution for a breach of the Consumer Protection Act. Accordingly, the agency will be making no further comment on this issue."
Surely they can be done by the Irish version of trading standards for that.
ReplyDeleteIt's not like the Express when they covered thier paper with an advert for a car on the day of Obama's innaguration (funny that). This is one product pretending to be a totally different product in order to purposefully mislead/con people into buying it.
That would be fraud by false representation* in the UK, though no doubt the "special edition for the readers of..." would see them slip through the net.
ReplyDelete*Fraud Act 2006, Section 2
If they are prosecuted and actually have to part with money or, better yet print an apology it'll be interesting to see a)How the Irish arm of the Mail reacts and if it'll do as it's told and b) How many anti-Irish lies the UK Mail will print in the weeks following as retaliation.
ReplyDelete