The story concerns children who survived the Dunblane massacre having now reached the age of 18, who have apparently "shamed" the memory of the murders by acting like teenagers. If you're wondering why the age of 18 is relevant here, then I'm here to tell you that it means they're no longer children and are, therefore, fair game for the tabloids. The Express admits as much when it says:
A number of the youngsters, now 18, have posted shocking blogs and photographs of themselves on the Internet, 13 years after being sheltered from public view in the aftermath.
So, with these teenagers now fair game, the Express's flimsy defence for this story is that it's in the public interest to know what these kids have got up to. Is it really? Are they just being normal kids? Is the only thing notable about them that they happen to have been in the school when the gunman attacked? Would this really be a story if this were a group of any other teenagers? If so, why treat these kids any differently from ordinary 18-year-olds?
In the days and months that followed the survivors, then aged just five and six, were the subject of overwhelming worldwide sympathy. But now the Sunday Express can reveal how, on their web-based social networking sites, some of them have boasted about alcoholic binges and fights.
An additional component to the story, then, is the presence of social networking sites, which are the new strand of fear for parents as far as the worldwide web is concerned. But 'kids boast about being drunk on Bebo' - big deal. That's life all over the country among teenagers, I'm afraid; I doubt these kids are any more or less boozy than any others; and if they are a bit more reckless, then, well, can we think of a reason why that might be? Perhaps being exposed to an act of appalling and traumatic violence when they were children might be a factor, no...?
The patheticness of this story is exemplified by this quote:
For instance, Stewart Weir – who was hit by a single bullet and watched in horror as his classmates died – makes rude gestures in pictures he posted on his Bebo site, and boasts of drunken nights out.
A man who was once hit by a bullet and watched his classmates die in front of his eyes has made a rude gesture in a picture. A teenager has been out drinking. Gasp! Horrors! The scumbag! How dare he not hide himself away for the rest of his life!
The webpage of Mark Mullan, who suffered serious injuries in the shooting, states he is the “f***y who canny stop drivin in the silver hing”, is littered with foul language and features images of him with his new tattoo on his back.
A man who has been injured as a child by a gunman now swears sometimes. And he's got a tattoo! How dare he! How dare he! (I'm not entirely sure, by the way, what 'hing' means in this context as I am but a poor southern fool - any explanation welcome)
Others boast about discovering sex.
Teenagers... having sex?! Good god. How dare they!
I don't quite understand this article at all. Is it trying to say that the people who survived Dunblane should somehow lead exemplary lives and be held to higher standards than people who haven't been through a traumatic childhood experience? Really? Or is it just a miserable excuse to try and dig some dirt on people who have been untouchable by the tabs - until now?
I think I have a fair idea as to the answer.
32 comments:
They appear to have realised that it may be a bit much even for their readers, they have removed the comments section.
Next week in the Express, a thoughtful opinion piece entitled "Why didn't Thomas Watt Hamilton kill these teenage scum when he had the chance?"
I assume none of the kids looked, you know, "foreign", or that would have been mentioned, too.
As there is no reader comments section, why not email the reporter, Paula.Murray@Express.co.uk and ask her what the public interest justification in the story is?
"t is a far cry from the image of the smiling boy in the back row of Gwen Mayor’s class"
Working for a pile shit that is the Express is a far cry for Paula Murray, who aged five wanted to play with dollies.
FFS.
I'm very tempted to follow John's advice and email this reporter. This really is shameful, I simply don't understand what point there is to this story. Even people that like a good gripe about how terrible the youth of today is will probably be confused as well.
Once again the tabs also miss the point that with any male aged 13-19if you take the amount they say they drink and halve it and the number of girls they say they've slept with and aquare root it you might get somewhere near the real answer.
If Paula Murray slept after filing this truly despicable piece of shit, then she's a lost soul.
Seriously, this is about as low as it's possible to go.
That's a shocking piece of journalism. I see they quoted a Scottish MSP (Elizabeth Smith), I've dropped her an email asking whether she knew the tone of the article before providing the quote and whether she agrees with what the Express has published
'ckin hell. What an absolute piece of coprophagia. The absolute pits.
Hi everyone.
I've written the following letter to the Editor
"Dear Sir/Madam
I wish to contact the editor regarding the above story printed on Sunday 8th March.
According to the Code of Practice for editors 'Everyone is entitled to respect for his or her private and family life, home, health and correspondence, including digital communications. Editors will be expected to
justify intrusions into any individual's private life without consent."
Can you therefore explain to me how this story can possibly be justified? The total information contained in the story is that some young people have put on their webpages that they like to drink and have sex. This is probably no different from any other young people. Yet somehow, it is relevant because these particular young people were involved in a horrific incident over 13 years ago.
Can I ask quite what you expect from these young people? That they should be purer than white? That because they have been involved in a horrific incident that they should be forever in the public eye with their every move being scrutinised? (Let us not forget that these people were the victims in a shooting and not the criminal). Should they have to consider whether or not their every action brings 'shame upon Dunblane'
I look forward to your reply, before addressing my concerns direct to the PCC.
Yours Sincerely
Nicholas Mazonowicz
"
I suggest everyone else who finds this story disgusting write a similar letter and then make a complaint to the pCC.
I'm not emailing the journo as she's beyond redemption and there's a special place in hell reserved just for her (and she doesn't care), but I have emailed the MSP quoted with my views. She probably doesn't care either, but there's nothing politicians hate more than being unpopular with the general public. Might stop her being a 'rent a quote' in future.
Dear Ms Smith
I am not your constituent, but would like to express my deep revulsion at your personal attack on survivors of the Dunblane massacre.
A tabloid newspaper has stalked, via the internet, young adults whose lives have been blighted by an unimaginably traumatic ordeal. It has named and “shamed” them in the national press for normal teenage behaviour. There was no justification for this story, which is a clear breach of the Press Complaints Commission code.
You appear to have aided in this attack on named individuals in your official position as Conservative spokeswoman for Children, Schools and Skills. When contributing to this story did you not consider that these young people might still be coping with the after-effects of the killings and that tabloid intrusion could only serve to traumatise them further? Two teenage boys should not be subject to national media scrutiny because they were victims of a terrible crime as young children, nor should they have to consider whether or not any of their actions ‘shames the memory of their dead peers’, a quite ridiculous and offensive suggestion. They are not the ones who should be “cringing with embarrassment” as you suggest. In fact I believe you owe Stewart Weir and Mark Mullan an apology.
I had to struggle to keep that email civil. Wonder if I'll get a response?
If anyone else fancies a go, email her at Elizabeth.Smith.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
From journalism.co.uk:
"After six years at the Record, Murray says her biggest challenge is learning the 'Sunday way'.
"It's tough to hold on to a good story [for Sunday] because there's the risk someone else in another publication will also get their hands on it," she told Journalism.co.uk."
Well done Paula, you found a scoop that absolutely no-one else would touch.
How did Paula get the grandmother of a dead child to comment? How many grieving relatives did she hassle until she found one prepared to deliver a money quote, one she's managed to goad into planning to personally confront the survivors ? Vile, despicable woman.
And who the f*** does that MSP think she is? Condemning 18 year old kids who have been stalked by a national newspaper.
I am pleased I drew this to your attention as you have dealt with it very well, as I have come to expect from you.
My take on this is that the Dunblane survivors are simply the wrong kind of victims for the Express. They were presumably hoping to find kids who were fucked up, embittered, vengeful and, with a bit of luck, feeling "betrayed by the government."
What they found, though, was a largely unremarkable group of teenagers who, whether or not you like them or approve of their alleged behaviour, appear keen to avoid wearing their victimhood as a badge.
If any of them wanted to, they could dine out on being a Dunblane survivor and there'd be no shortage of papers willing to write them cheques if they did, but even posting tacky shit on Bebo is more dignified than that.
To say they have shamed the memory of their dead classmates is an outrageous and unfounded charge. None of us know their innermost thoughts about the massacre so we certainly have no right to imagine that they don't give a fuck.
Are these supposed to remain five years old in perpetuity or possess higher moral standards than anyone else their age?
Is there any news value or public interest in this story? I can't see any. Is this why Paula Murray wanted to be a journalist?
I've had a reply from Elizabeth Smith this evening
Thank you for your email.
My comments were not made in the context of Dunblane. The journalist did not ask me anything about Dunblane nor did I comment on it or on any individual involved. It would be quite wrong for me to do so.
I have made comments recently to several newspapers about the issues related to young people using internet sites and the inappropriate use of that material. It is in relation to these views that I was approached and I can assure you there were no references to Dunblane.
What the Sunday Express chooses to print as the context is a matter for the relevant editor.
Yours sincerely,
Elizabeth Smith
I've emailed to thank her for the speedy response, and to say I think she has grounds for complaint.
Wow that really, really pissed me off. I've stuck it on Digg with a not-very-good description, but thought it deserved the attention.
Good work Keith (and Anton, as usual!)
There really is something utterly nasty underpinning this entire article isn't there? Something along the lines of 'Maybe it would have been better if....'
Piss-poor even for the express.
"What the Sunday Express chooses to print as the context is a matter for the relevant editor."
I'm amazed she's taking such a relaxed view of the whole thing. It's shows either a worryingly un-savvy approach to dealing with the media or a strong desire to get quoted whatever the story.
I complained to the PCC about this horrendous pile of shit from the Express and I've now had a reply - apparently they've already been contacted by the family of one of the people featured in the article and are 'in the process of considering their formal complaint'.
I also sent a strongly-worded email to Paula Murray, but have had no answer as yet (!)
Sterling work from all.
This story was a mere filler until they find some dirt on the killers of James Bulger.
Well done for taking action guys.
The Express is such a joke. What lazy journalism this is - 'Oh yeah, let's just go on Facebook and rip a few quotes off kids' pages'.
www.olivershah.com
I also wrote to the SE editor etc.
Here's a reply for Derek Lambie that I received this morning.
"Many thanks for your letter. As you are no doubt aware – thanks to mass bloggers on the Internet – we have been inundated with letters and comments. Many of them have been extremely personal.
I can assure you each and every one of the Comments from readers and residents in Dunblane is being read and discussed.
Derek Lambie"
My letter was CC'd to Paula Murray. She is yet to raise her head.
The cached story can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/dunblane
"As you are no doubt aware – thanks to mass bloggers on the Internet – we have been inundated with letters and comments."
No, Derek Lambie, the fact that bloggers have highlighted this is irrelevant. You have been inundated with letters and comments because the original article, published on your watch, was beneath contempt and an insult to journalism.
"Many of them have been extremely personal."
As personal as suggesting some people have shamed the memory of their dead childhood friends?
Sadly, I am a little bit limited in my ability to reseach at the moment.
Just what was the Express's position on the scandal at the BBC when two presenters violated the privacy of Andrew Sach?
That particular scandal was whipped up by the media so that the number of complaints swelled proportionally to the coverage.
Now we have one of the same newspapers showing that anything the BBC can do, they can do a hundred times worse.
The scandal at the BBC cost one of the presenters their job, another a suspension and the controller of the station resigned. I believe there were other disciplinary actions too.
Will the same be happening at the Express?
There may be some mileage in checking whether the Express has ever printed - e.g., - 23 top chat up lines.
With you all on the article.
As someone who lives in the same area as Dunblane, who lives a few minutes walk from Thomas Hamilton's house and who has a policeman for a dad who was one of the first on the scene of the massacre, this chills me to the bone. Does this newspaper not realise that this was an event that scarred not just a small town but an entire nation? And to sucker punch teens for drinking, enjoying themselves and functioning normally because they survived a slaughter. What does this newspaper expect from these people? The fact that they're even capable of functioning normally at all in spite of something so horrific is miraculous in itself. I have always been something of a cynic when it comes to journalists exposing something "for the public good" but my only reaction to that front cover is absolute revulsion.
Thanks for posting this.
Although the letter I wrote was published in the Express on Sunday, they chose to edit out the important bits. Full letter attached. Got the same standard reply from Derek Lambie - who incidentally went to Stirling University only a few miles from Dunblane so he should have known better than to allow this to be published.
Full Letter
I was shocked to read the Anniversary Shame of Dunblane Survivors "story" that you ran on Sunday 8 March 2009.
What is it exactly that these youngsters have done to warrant such media attention apart from being 18? Is this not the kind of stuff that
young adolescents do? I'm sure that if you were to search the bebo pages of 90% of youngsters in their late teens and early twenties this is exactly
the type of boasting, carry on and nonsense that you will find. It seems to me that this is all part of growing up and with the increase in internet
usage posting such things on the net has become the norm, this is the way that youngsters express themselves these days. Whether or not you
think this is a sensible or grown up thing to do I cannot see what this has to do with what happened in Dunblane 13 years ago.
Have these people gone out and murdered someone? No Have they vandalised property? No Have they robbed banks? No - All they are guilty of is
having social networking sites and you think it is appropriate and fair to snoop around on these sites and quote them completely out of context. How
is the way these people are behaving now connected to the Dunblane tragedy in any way? This is an example of cheap, thoughtless and irresponsible
journalism which only seeks to harm every individual involved – the victims, the relatives of the victims and the residents of Dunblane.
Your story is judgmental and one-sided - meeting the usual standard of the gutter-press. Do you think the survivors should be humble for the rest
of their lives and thank God every day that they survived? Is it not better that they move on with their lives and live them as normally as they can
like every other person gets to - including you.
I suggest that you look at your own lives before sitting in judgement of others and I think that you should apologise to everybody you have upset and offended with this story.
Response from Derek Lambie
Many thanks for your letter. As you are no doubt aware – thanks to mass bloggers on the Internet – we have been inundated with letters and comments. Many of them have been extremely personal.
I can assure you each and every one of the Comments from readers and residents in Dunblane is being read and discussed.
I have since emailed Mr Lambie and asked what exactly they intend to do with the comments and letters they have received. What action they propose to take but I've head nothing back
I live in Stirling, 6 miles from Dunblane I know people involved in the tragedy. I am truly sickened by this rag and I 'm going to make it a personal crusade to make sure as many people in my area know about this and hopefully stop them buying that tawdry rag.
Just like Liverpool and The Sun we can do this.
The paper did sort of publish an apology yesterday. But it's on an inside page and uses more column inches to say what a wonderful paper it is, than on the actual apology. This paper gives gutter journalism a bad name.
A shocking article, and genuine disbelief that they actually printed this. Just ridiculous. Disrespectful, petty and worthless. Paula murray should be ashamed of her conduct as a journalist, but I know she won't be as she works for the express in the first place.
Pete
http://www.pete-blakemore.com
An additional note on Ali T's comment about Derek Lambie. His career in journalism is founded on the fact that as a student, he was Editor of Stirling University's student newspaper, Brig, at the time of the massacre.
Brig won awards that year due to their sensitive coverage.
Ironic, eh???
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