Why the Daily Mail is a Bad Thing
Posted by: Richard in Media, Newspapers, Scotland, UK, tags: bloggers, daily mail, NewspapersI despise the Daily Mail. It’s a horrifically biased newspaper, with a particular agenda to push (and push it it does relentlessly) that I very rarely find I have any sympathy with. It seems to relish winding up and massaging the prejudices of the people of Middle England (and Middle Scotland) who buy the paper. I believe it’s incredibly important to challenge everything that we have presented to us as fact, or as some irrevocable ‘right’, and there seems scant evidence this particular newspaper does that. I worry that the readership doesn’t either.
One of my favourite quotes, that succinctly captures my approach here, is from Mark Twain: “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it’s time to pause and reflect.”.
Back to the Mail. They’ve been doing what they, sadly, do well, and that’s misrepresent somebody. Now I’ve been interviewed for a (technical) publication on at least one occasion, and found that the words attributed to me didn’t quite match my recollection (or typical usage), and it left me with a bit of a sour taste, although I was still quite chuffed. The experience, no doubt, of sub-editors tweaking words and selecting, then condensing, my statements to make it ‘flow’ better.
But that’s one thing. Wholesale misrepresentation is another, and this seems to be something the Mail excels with. I’m angry, but not ultimately surprised (via Gordon), to read about a particularly awful piece of journalism from this excuse for a ‘news’ paper that has portrayed a fellow blogger in a particularly inaccurate way.
So, read her response, then please: Stop. Buying. This. “News” Paper.
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May 27th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
thank god for a newspaper like the DM who DO NOT pander to the weak minded lily livered politically correct nonesense that has invaded our lives
June 13th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
I think that the daily mail is more of a joke newspaper and whilst incorrect a lot of the time to not have it would mean the loss of many funny jokes, particulary ones on Have I Got News For you.
The Mail seems intent on promoting Alternative medicine and is very bad at reporting on Science. It is also anti- computer games, and against a large range of things.
If your in the mood to have a rant over something the DM is your best bet. The comment for the DM reader seems highly typical of their readers.
April 3rd, 2010 at 6:07 pm
the daily mail just enjoys being annoyed. It’s not enough to say they don’t like or understand something, they have to make it evil. Take the teen “emo” trend, they were probably waiting to pounce on it, and sure enough one “emo” commits suicide, they don’t know why but blame emo, “the lyrics are depressing! they glamourise suicide!” imagine that, deliberately making people angry and depressed, hoooow could they!
ps. daily mail reader, no one REALLY pays attention to a lot of political correctness, they try to enforce it, and the daily mail acts like its the only voice against it, but everyone thinks its bullshit. and as a teenager (16) i consider their writing inflammatory and unnecessarily predjudice against us, e’en though we’re not that bad. I wont stab you dont worry, im not on drugs nor am I pregnant or suicidal.