AddThis SmartLayers

Regional daily editor hits out at “loathsome” Mail

A regional daily editor has plunged into the row between labour leader Ed Miliband and the Daily Mail, describing it as “a nasty newspaper with a nasty set of opinions.”

The Mail has come under fire across the political spectrum for running an article about Mr Miliband’s late father Ralph, headlined “The Man Who Hated Britain.”

In an outspoken blog post yesterday, South Wales Argus editor Kevin Ward described the piece as “particularly loathsome and odious” and the paper as “cowardly.”

But he went on to defend the paper’s right to voice such views, saying:  “The moment we begin to regulate opinion is the moment we stop being a free, democratic nation.”

Kevin’s intervention came on the day it emerged the Mail’s sister paper the Mail on Sunday had apologised to Mr Milband for sending a reporter to a private family memorial service for his uncle, Harry Keen.

Mr Miliband had complained directly to Mail owner Lord Rothermere over the issue, by-passing the Press Complaints Commission which he described as “widely discredited” and of which Mail editor Paul Dacre is a member.

Wrote Kevin:  “The piece was classic Daily Mail, a newspaper that is never happier than when it is scaring or outraging the nation via its own peculiarly right-wing view of the world.

“Of course, the Mail’s piece and the way in which it was displayed is particularly loathsome and odious. But it is what the Daily Mail does. And, love it or hate it, it is the second-most popular newspaper in Britain behind The Sun and has the most-viewed English-language newspaper website in the world.

“In my view, the Daily Mail is a nasty newspaper with a nasty set of opinions. I would never defend its opinion of Ralph Miliband or the way in which it has chosen to express it.

“But I will defend to the death its right to hold and voice such opinions.  The moment we begin to regulate opinion is the moment we stop being a free, democratic nation.”

Kevin went on to criticise Mr Dacre personally for having given his deputy, Jon Steafel, the job of publicly defending the paper’s actions.

“The biggest criticism I have of the Mail’s conduct this week is the failure of Mr Dacre to defend his newspaper’s position,” he said.

“If the Argus was in a similar position, I wouldn’t be sending out my deputy to speak on my behalf. I make the decisions, therefore I should defend them.

“The Mail’s attack on Ralph Miliband was cowardly. But when a newspaper is led by an editor who is not brave enough to defend his own decisions in public then is that really a surprise?”

The Mail has so far declined to comment specifically on Kevin’s comments.

However the MoS has “unreservedly” apologised to Mr Miliband after an uninvited reporter went to a private memorial service he was attending for his late uncle.

Two journalists on the paper have been suspended over what editor Geordie Greig called “a terrible lapse of judgment.”

“The reporter was sent without my knowledge; it was a decision which was wrong. Two journalists have been suspended and a full investigation is now being carried out,” he said.

Earlier Mr Miliband had written to the papers’ proprietor Lord Rothermere urging him to mount an inquiry into their “culture and practices”.

In the letter he said:  “I believe no purpose would be served by me complaining to the Press Complaints Commission because it is widely discredited.”

However PCC chairman Lord Hunt said in a statement: “I was deeply concerned to read Ed Miliband’s account of the presence of an uninvited journalist at the memorial service for his late uncle.

“While Mr Miliband has made clear that he currently has no intention of making a complaint to the PCC, the protection of vulnerable individuals – including bereaved family members – is at the very heart of what the PCC does, and we shall continue to follow this matter closely.”

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg also launched an outspoken attack on the Mail yesterday, describing the paper as “overflowing with bile” about modern Britain.

“It seems to me that if anyone excels in denigrating and often vilifying a lot about modern Britain, it’s the Daily Mail,” he said.

15 comments

You can follow all replies to this entry through the comments feed.
  • October 4, 2013 at 9:58 am
    Permalink

    The Mail, whatever its faults, catches the mood of Middle England.
    The fact that it is loathed by politicians is a major plus for Mr Dacre and his staff.
    Clegg is a weak, treacherous man who has zilch credibility, Ed Miliband is a spotty sixth-former who is roundly despised even by his own party.
    Alastair Campbell is an ex-drunk and a proven liar.
    If a newspaper is judged by the quality of its enemies, then the Mail is doing very nicely, thank you.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • October 4, 2013 at 10:56 am
    Permalink

    I wonder which political party Mr Ward supports.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • October 4, 2013 at 11:00 am
    Permalink

    Miliband tried too hard. All he really had to say was nine words: “The Daily Mail supported the Nazis: my dad fought them.”

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • October 4, 2013 at 11:52 am
    Permalink

    Surprised and disappointed that the editor of a regional daily should make such an overtly political comment.

    Still, I suppose dog has always eaten dog in this game.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • October 4, 2013 at 11:54 am
    Permalink

    In one sense the Daily Mail must be the world’s most sophisticated newspaper propaganda tool. It’s often ahead of BBC television news and ITV for stories that matter. It’s got the best sport and consumer news. It comes across as funny, pertinent, campaigning, entertaining, informative…all at the same time.
    It aims at readers with minimal attention span. If it gets something completely wrong on one edition, there’s no need to worry about a correction. Readers will have forgotten all about it next day.
    It’s got a long history of supporting all the wrong causes from Hitler in the Thirties to B.L. Vorster in the old racist South Africa.
    Undoubtedly highly successful as a money spinner, it is a strange paradox because politically it is a flop in the long-term, always going against the tide of history.Look at its backing of Margaret Thatcher, a leader who believed first and foremost in British military power, yet a person who did more to destroy British industry (on which military force relies) than Adolf Hitler.
    Meretricious–that’s what I’m trying to say. Thank you!

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • October 4, 2013 at 12:08 pm
    Permalink

    I was thinking this week about how many family memorial events I covered over the years. Quite a few I’m sure, and not all by invite.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • October 4, 2013 at 12:23 pm
    Permalink

    ITS interesting to note the sudden sensitivity and outrage of the Labour Party over this issue.
    When Mrs Thatcher died we had stories across the country of Labour councillors and leaders celebrating the death of an old woman.
    I can’t recall the Guardianistas getting into a lather over that…

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • October 4, 2013 at 4:28 pm
    Permalink

    The News Trade defies the logic of sense ability! The trade has suffered alarmingly since the phone hacking scandal, and now the so called more classy newspaper (Daily Mail) stoops even lower! What planet are these people on? How can you send a reporter to a PRIVATE funeral, its obvious their sales will now fall which means the retailers suffers yet again. through no fault of their own! Its time for some Publishers to wake up and smell the coffee!

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • October 4, 2013 at 4:33 pm
    Permalink

    Looks like HTFP readers are mostly Daily Mail readers.
    Sigh, I guess that’s just a reflection on the quality of journalists these days…

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • October 4, 2013 at 5:03 pm
    Permalink

    Dacre must be shaking in his boots making an enemy of the South Wales Argus. This is a classic example of why regional dailies are going down the toilet – the tendency to ignore local news and leap aboard a national bandwagon. Nobody cares what you think about the Miliband row, Gavin. Start fighting some battles in your own backyard, where your opinion actually matters.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • October 4, 2013 at 5:26 pm
    Permalink

    Maybe it’s just me, but I thought the regional press was meant to be politically neutral.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • October 4, 2013 at 5:31 pm
    Permalink

    ivy likes … come on. Try to get a bite, ok, but this is typical, self-aggrandising, regional guff. It’s nothing to do with this bloke, but, hell, let’s wade in as it’s easy, sensationalist and proves ‘we’re nothing like the Daily Mail’. Except you’re exactly the same as you are a commercial interest. Trying to take the moral high ground – it makes me retch.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • October 8, 2013 at 12:39 pm
    Permalink

    exypbusinesshack: I count that as 10 words. You need a decent sub. There aren’t many around of course.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • October 10, 2013 at 10:36 am
    Permalink

    The Mail excels with some items but often its material is shabby stuff and rabid thus bringing all of the press into disrepute. Many people are cynical of the press and the Mail plays into their hands.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)