Stephen Brook, press correspondentWednesday October 18, 2006MediaGuardian.co.uk
The Daily Star last night pulled a page that mocked Muslim law by turning the tabloid into the "Daily Fatwa" following a newsroom revolt.
Management acted after the Daily Star's National Union of Journalists' chapel held a stop work meeting that produced a resolution condemning the page.
The page included a "Page 3 burqa babes special" showing a woman in a niqab, as part of a feature billed as "How your favourite paper would look under Muslim law".
The page also contained a blank editorial stamped with the words "censored" and "Allah is great" while across the top of the page were the words "no news no goss no fun".
A competition told readers to "Burn a flag and win a Corsa", while a picture of the US president, George Bush, was accompanied by a caption "death to infidels".
At a hastily arranged stop work NUJ chapel meeting, staff voiced fears of violent reprisals and carried a motion that condemned the feature.
"This National Union of Journalists chapel expresses its deep concern at the content of page 6 in tomorrow's Daily Star which we consider to be deliberately offensive to Muslims," the motion read.
"The chapel fears that this editorial content poses a very serious risk of violent and dangerous reprisals from religious fanatics who may take offence at these articles. This may place the staff in great jeopardy. This chapel urges the management to remove the content immediately."
When staff protested about the page, the editor, Dawn Neesom, had already left the office, leaving the deputy editor, Ben Knowles, who joined the paper from men's magazine Zoo in September, in charge.
Knowles pulled the page and replaced it with a story about the seven wonders of the modern world.
The NUJ general secretary, Jeremy Dear, said: "This was an outrageous and hugely irresponsible idea which fortunately our chapel courageously resisted and, in so doing, protected both the paper and its staff from possible serious repercussions.
"The union's code of conduct condemns this sort of gratuitous material which is likely to encourage discrimination and hatred in our society.
"We are calling on the Daily Star to act wisely and responsibly and put this moment of madness behind them for good."
The Daily Star had not commented in time for publication.
― Hello Sunshine (Hello Sunshine), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 13:49 (nineteen years ago)
― Hello Sunshine (Hello Sunshine), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 13:50 (nineteen years ago)
― ;_; (blueski), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 13:53 (nineteen years ago)
― benrique (Enrique), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 13:54 (nineteen years ago)
Former NME editor Ben Knowles, to get all DJ Martian on you.
― Sadly, he will be the next Alexis Petridish. (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 14:01 (nineteen years ago)
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 14:01 (nineteen years ago)
― Ste (Fuzzy), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 14:04 (nineteen years ago)
― Blah Blah Blah (kate), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 14:04 (nineteen years ago)
Re: the Onion — no, I wouldn't actually. Though I suspect they'd never run such a thing anyway.
― Hello Sunshine (Hello Sunshine), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 14:05 (nineteen years ago)
― Sadly, he will be the next Alexis Petridish. (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 14:06 (nineteen years ago)
― Diddumsismus (Dada), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 14:06 (nineteen years ago)
― ;_; (blueski), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 14:08 (nineteen years ago)
― benrique (Enrique), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 14:10 (nineteen years ago)
― Coach Dave (Fluffy Bear Hearts Rainbows), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 14:20 (nineteen years ago)
stephen brook, on his shit.
― geoff (gcannon), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 14:22 (nineteen years ago)
― secondhandnews (secondhandnews), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 14:31 (nineteen years ago)
― benrique (Enrique), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 14:32 (nineteen years ago)
uhm, not really, plus the onion isn't staffed with reactionary types.
― kingfish prætor (kingfish 2.0), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 14:56 (nineteen years ago)
another horrible UK newspaper
http://exclarotive.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/the-daily-star-sinks-to-a-new-low/
― onimo, Friday, 7 January 2011 13:22 (fifteen years ago)
Star headlines - there was another especially good Jo Yeates one I think two days ago - are appalling and fascinating in that they work in this extremely narrow space where they're not making an outright false statement, but only thanks to the subheadline and/or first 30 words of the story. I assume there must be some sort of inhouse lawyer who fields the "uh, can we actually say this?" enquiries
― Scilk Mahouthy (DJ Mencap), Friday, 7 January 2011 13:36 (fifteen years ago)
A competition told readers to "Burn a flag and win a Corsa"
isn't this a recycled Private Eye joke about Falklands-era tabloid jingoism? ~makes you think~
― Scilk Mahouthy (DJ Mencap), Friday, 7 January 2011 13:40 (fifteen years ago)
And did anybody win a corsa? no they did not.
― Mark G, Friday, 7 January 2011 13:49 (fifteen years ago)
I won a Corsa actually.
― Matt DC, Friday, 7 January 2011 13:55 (fifteen years ago)
ah nice one. Which flag was it?
― Mark G, Friday, 7 January 2011 13:55 (fifteen years ago)
THE English Defence League is set to break into mainstream politics with a bid to get MPs in Parliament.
It wants to field official EDL candidates in national and council elections.
The move is an attempt to increase the organisation’s political influence, just like the BNP under Nick Griffin.
The party’s boss Tommy Robinson said: “We aren’t ruling it out. I think this country needs a party that’s not afraid to say things some would consider unpopular.
“My hope is still that the Tories will take a tougher stance.
“We are a single issue group and at the moment we would rather have a dialogue with the other political parties – but that could change.”
Mr Robinson, 28, real name Stephen Lennon, whose group now has 74,000 Facebook followers, predicted the EDL would have more online supporters than the Tories, Labour and the Lib-Dems by the end of the year.
He said the organisation’s main aim was to outlaw the Koran then adapt it to fit in with British society.
He said the only way to do this would be to force Muslims to realise the words of their holy scriptures are outdated.
He said: “They have got a responsibility to sort out their religion. They have to reform their religion so it fits in.”
Mr Robinson also revealed that he wants to appear on BBC1’s Question Time. And the EDL boss said that, unlike bumbling BNP leader Nick Griffin, 51, he would be a surefire hit on the show.
The BBC was blasted for allowing Mr Griffin on to the panel in 2009 and thousands of people protested outside the studios.
But Mr Robinson claimed the EDL was now so popular he would get supporters outside the venue if he appeared.
He said: “Nick Griffin got two million votes and he’s an MEP but he didn’t have anyone supporting him when he went on Question Time.
“Get me on Question Time. I’ll have 10,000 people turn up to support me.” Meanwhile a row was brewing last night over the EDL’s latest planned march, which officials claimed would cost £1million to police.
The protest is planned for March 19 in Birmingham after two Muslim councillors refused to stand up in honour of a war hero at a ceremony.
MPs have called for Home Secretary Theresa May, 54, to ban the event, which falls on the same day Wolverhampton Wanderers play Aston Villa.
In the Daily Star phone poll yesterday, 98% of readers said they agreed with the EDL’s policies.
st✧✧✧.hug✧✧✧@dailys✧✧✧.c✧.u✧
― look its not that you listen to metal its that youre a bellend ok (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:25 (fifteen years ago)
tl;dr version: Daily Star is to all intents and purposes coming out in support of the EDL
― look its not that you listen to metal its that youre a bellend ok (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:26 (fifteen years ago)
Mr Robinson, 28, real name Stephen Lennon
is this a "me, Irish? Never!" move, or something else?
Do people actually read the Star? Moreso, do people actually read the Star for its political content? Until I saw this thread I thought it was nothing but tirts and non-news from cover to cover.
― Antoine Bugleboy (Merdeyeux), Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:33 (fifteen years ago)
every right-wing leder thinks this.
― Mark G, Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:38 (fifteen years ago)
Leader, dammit! Oh, then again...
Until I saw this thread I thought it was nothing but tirts and non-news from cover to cover
well, that's why it's notable I guess - afaik there hasn't been any other UK national daily in my lifetime which has actually gone on record as endorsing this or any other far right group
― look its not that you listen to metal its that youre a bellend ok (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:44 (fifteen years ago)
Terrifying development, especially as the EDL seem to present themselves as the BNP it's socially acceptable to support. Daily Star basically sells to the white van man for whom The Sun is a bit too wordy so Desmond knows what he's doing here, especially given Northern & Shell's recent withdrawal from the Press Complaints Commission.
Expect some admirable and totally unbiased documentaries running on Channel 5 at some point soon.
― Matt DC, Thursday, 10 February 2011 17:05 (fifteen years ago)
OTOH they might split the BNP vote and clown both parties.
especially as the EDL seem to present themselves as the BNP it's socially acceptable to support
Yeah, but the BNP was that to the NF, back in.
― Mark G, Thursday, 10 February 2011 17:06 (fifteen years ago)
Something of a story arc:
http://images.dailystar-uk.co.uk/dynamic/pixfeed/covers/257x330front/2014-03-28.jpghttp://images.dailystar-uk.co.uk/dynamic/pixfeed/covers/257x330front/2014-03-29.jpg
― robocop ELF (seandalai), Saturday, 29 March 2014 00:01 (twelve years ago)