Is the Daily Mail really that bad?

Priori · 01-02-2012 04:59PM #1

Today, reading through comments left in the aftermath of the article about 'Magda' in that despicable rag the Independent, I noticed a comment referring to the Indo as the 'Irish Daily Mail.'

My gf regularly reads this, and while I realise it's very trashy and would never go near it myself (and would rather she didn't, but I won't be an asshole and try to tell her what she should and shouldn't read), my question is: Is the Daily Mail bad enough that a comparison with the Indo is warranted? Have there been any clear instances of it publishing outright dishonest, nasty, agenda-pushing bullsh1t?

I'm honestly just curious, and would be grateful for any links.

gcgirl · 01-02-2012 05:01PM

Yep both would be classed a lazy journalistic agenda driving drivel

minidazzler · 01-02-2012 05:02PM

As with most newspapers these days, both of those are full of sensationalist trash which really doesn't need ot be printed but they have quota's to fill so they will write whatever tripe they need to.

KeithAFC · 01-02-2012 05:03PM

A leftist insult to the Daily Mail.

Proxy · 01-02-2012 05:03PM

It's a load of right-wing, reactionary nonsense; a tabloid that thinks its a broadsheet. My parents read it at the weekend sometimes. I would hope your girlfriend is able to have her own opinion, separate to the DM.

Fago! · 01-02-2012 05:04PM

Newspapers? I get my news from After Hours!

The ally cat · 01-02-2012 05:07PM

It's not fair to compare the daily mail to the indo, they put thought into the stories they make up!

thomasj · 01-02-2012 05:07PM

is the daily fail really that bad

Yes!

iguana · 01-02-2012 05:10PM

Just google Jan Moir, Stephen Gately or Jan Moir, Dunblane.

KeithAFC · 01-02-2012 05:14PM

Proxy wrote: »

It's a load of right-wing, reactionary nonsense; a tabloid that thinks its a broadsheet. My parents read it at the weekend sometimes. I would hope your girlfriend is able to have her own opinion, separate to the DM.

How dare a newspaper be right wing and make up stories. Not like left wing papers don't do it.

Cool Mo D · 01-02-2012 05:17PM

Yes the Daily Mail is that bad. Not because of it's reactionary right-wing agenda though.

The real problem is that the Daily Mail does not care about facts, or the truth, or ethical journalism. It is perfectly happy to twist a story, make up quotes, or just fabricate from whole cloth. For example, when Amanda Knox was appealing her murder conviction in Perugia, the Daily Mail had two articles written, for the cases where here appeal was successful or unsuccessful. When her appeal was successful, they accidentally put up the wrong article on their website, which detailed how she "sank into her chair sobbing uncontrollably" when she heard the verdict, and how she was put on suicide watch. Which never happened of course. http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/daily-mail-guuilt/

If you read an article in the Mail, with a quote like "an expert said", or "a bystander said", or "persons familiar with the case said", unless it gives a name and picture of said expert, it is actually the journalist writing the article who is the expert/journalist/bystander.

The Daily Mail is so popular because it tailors its articles to provoke outrage in its readers, without regard to the truth.The Daily Mail is 10 times worse than the Independent, because even though the Irish Independent is full of lazy, sloppy journalism, rehashed press releases, and wannabe celebrity nonsense, it isn't actively and purposely lying to it's readers like the Mail is.

FouxDaFaFa · 01-02-2012 05:18PM

I once read a Daily Mail article about the death of a young girl. She had been molested and murdered by her mother's boyfriend and the writer explicitly said that it was the mother's fault for bringing this man into the household. The death of her daughter was on her. It was the most disgusting article I have ever read.

This is all utterly dreadful. Yet a big part of me can't help but wonder: for God's sake, Roxanne, what on earth were you thinking?

Without a moment's doubt or suspicion, Roxanne Lawrence let a monster waltz right into the heart of her family life.

(Don't want to link directly as it will just be more traffic for it).

It was an opinion piece but the fact that it was allowed to run shows what a piece of sensationalist scummy journalism it is.

4zn76tysfajdxp · 01-02-2012 05:19PM

KeithAFC wrote: »

How dare a newspaper be right wing and make up stories. Not like left wing papers don't do it.

No newspapers should do it. Left, right or x wing.

John Doe1 · 01-02-2012 05:21PM

I get my news from The onion, its the only reliable source

g'em · 01-02-2012 05:21PM

I read the Daily Mail on-line every lunchtime (now the most read on-line newspaper apparently). I treat it much like I do the men in my life - pretty to look at and perfectly perfunctory for a quick fix but I couldn't give a flying fart what it has to say.

KeithAFC · 01-02-2012 05:21PM

Martha Incalculable Housewife wrote: »

No newspapers should do it. Left, right or x wing.

We don't live in a perfect world. These people need to make up stories to sell papers and earn money.

CardBordWindow · 01-02-2012 05:22PM

As long as they keep including pictures of Georgia Salpa, then who cares about the actual content!!?

GLaDOS · 01-02-2012 05:23PM

Obligatory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eBT6OSr1TI

My name is URL · 01-02-2012 05:23PM

The Daily Mail is at least entertaining. The Indo isn't even that

Eric Cartman · 01-02-2012 05:23PM

The daily mail is just a right wing tabloid.

Theyre not afraid to talk about issues that need to be talked about , like immigration or the islamisation of the UK, but the problem is that they sensationalize it and try to cause panic among people.

The daily mail is just basically the other side of the same coin as something like indymedia.

it angers some on the right because of its sensationalising of stories
it angers all those on the left because they dont know how the world works and think we should all pretend that everything works perfectly

PhlegmyMoses · 01-02-2012 05:26PM

The Indo is a better paper than the Daily Mail by a mile. Seriously. If you think the Indo has an agenda then you should read the Mail. Their editor, Paul Dacre, is an absolutely appaling person who promotes this method of writing which forces the journalists to write polemic and offensive articles to get more papers sold and more hits on the website. The paper exists to whip up a frenzy about anything and everything, particularly if you are not British, straight or a conformist to the status quo. Read Jan Moir or Richard Littlejohn if you want an insight into the type of people they employ. It is a paper for white, middle-aged British women who have right-wing view types.

4zn76tysfajdxp · 01-02-2012 05:28PM

KeithAFC wrote: »

We don't live in a perfect world. These people need to make up stories to sell papers and earn money.

Well they shouldn't. And we have every right to criticise them for it.

Ellis Dee · 01-02-2012 05:32PM

Determining the worseness of rags like the Indo and the (Hate)mail is a bit like trying to decide whether it is more disgusting to find you have dog poo or human sh1t on the sole of your shoe and have just smeared it on your best carpet.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Laisurg · 01-02-2012 05:38PM

Yep they're both as bad as each other, who says you need to verify your sources! pfff hell you can just make them up in fact.

FinnLizzy · 01-02-2012 05:46PM

The Irish Independent back in the day was considered a mouthpiece for the Catholic Church, but any sort of collusion isn't obviously visible at the moment.

The Irish Independent's agenda is much less visible than the Daily Mail. I can read through a Indo article and not get the sense that I'm being whipped up into a frenzy. I wouldn't trust a newspaper that uses words like 'sick', 'evil' or 'heatbreaking' (taken from today's headline on their website).

Anyways, Independent News & Media own the Herald and the Star, so you don't have to venture far to find their right-wing trash.

lucylu · 01-02-2012 05:56PM

The only good thing about the Daily mail is the TV guide on a Sunday..

K-9 · 01-02-2012 06:05PM

KeithAFC wrote: »

How dare a newspaper be right wing and make up stories. Not like left wing papers don't do it.

Indeed Keith, the left or right wing part is irrelevant, the making up part is the important distinction. Good on you for spotting that.

Snazzy_Chazzy · 01-02-2012 06:08PM

Daily Mail is great where else would you get headlines like todays for example

"James Corden shows off his slimmer frame to Lulu as he leans semi-naked out a window"

thomasj · 01-02-2012 06:12PM

Snazzy_Chazzy wrote: »

Daily Mail is great where else would you get headlines like todays for example

"James Corden shows off his slimmer frame to Lulu as he leans semi-naked out a window"

I think the only reason people buy it is because the free classical/country music cds or bingo cards they sometimes put in it!

elgriff · 01-02-2012 06:24PM

I am in disbelief that anyone reads it, and worry about people trusting it.

Here is a site showing a list of things the daily mail says can give you cancer, as well as thing that can prevent cancer. Needless to say there is overlap!

http://kill-or-cure.heroku.com/

Latchy · 01-02-2012 06:24PM

What passes for news in the Daily Mail ie, Kate Perry drop's Russell Brand from her twitter account ( yawn) isn't really news but such is the bland age of trashy journalism /news worthy items we live in ie , 53 year old boot flashes her boobs and wins reality tv contest ( jesuz ) we take from it and other newspapers like the Indo what we wish . I read both above on the net for free anyway so it costs me nothing except my time .

Is the Daily Mail really that bad?

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