Showing posts with label The Sunday Telegraph. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Sunday Telegraph. Show all posts

Friday, 24 June 2011

Louis Walsh: Tragedy Turned Into Tabloid Gold

The Daily Star, The Daily Mirror and The Sun all give over their front pages to the Louis Walsh "gay sex attack" allegations.
Any X Factor story is always tabloid gold, but this one is actually (grimly) newsworthy.
Unfortunately there's not much substance to their stories today.
All had quotes from Louis saying much the same thing;
"I’m devastated by the completely unfounded and malicious allegations. Anyone who knows me knows this is all a pack of lies. It’s hurtful someone can do this and think they can get away with it," appeared in both the Mirror and the Sun, as did many others.
The Sun front page read; "Cowell: I back Louis 100%."
Inside we learnt Cowell said; "Like all of his close friends I will support him 100 per cent."
Thrillingly The Sun also told us; "Jedward refused to comment on the allegations yesterday as they attended a charity competition at a school in Dublin."
The Mirror, The Star and The Sun were all united in thinking Louis was innocent - so much so you began to wonder why the police were bothering to investigate.
One thing we didn't learn is what Louis Walsh's wife feels about all this.

Update: "LOUIS Walsh is “highly unlikely” to face any charges, according to Irish police sources.
"But because the young dad who accused him of sexual assault – which the X Factor judge categorically denies – is pursuing the complaint, officers will still have to interview Louis.
"Last night the Mirror learned that the “victim” changed his story when an analysis of CCTV revealed nothing..." Mirror Online.

Update 2: "POLICE last night said the probe into claims Louis Walsh indecently assaulted a man in a club toilet could take months..." The Sun, Saturday.

Sunday, 27 March 2011

Elton John Watch: Come Dine With Will & Kate

"ELTON John is planning to host the ultimate Come Dine With Me event to celebrate the royal wedding – with Kate and Wills as guests of honour.
"The star-studded guest list for the dinner party, three weeks before the big day, also includes David and Victoria Beckham.
"And as in the popular TV show, the visitors may even get to look around Elton and David Furnish’s stunning home next to Windsor Castle while the feast is being prepared...
"A source said: “Elton loves entertaining and hosting people at his home...
“'He has wanted to invite Kate and William for dinner for a while now to thank them for his wedding invitation. He always puts on the most incredible feasts fit for royalty anyway, so they should feel right at home...'"

Story and enchanting photomontage from The Mirror.
The story appears to be as badly made-up as the picture - but I'm sure you'll agree it's a lovely thought.

• The Sunday Telegraph reports in hushed tones; "Gareth Thomas, the first openly homosexual leading rugby player, has been invited to Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding." So that's at least three homosexuals gay men attending - not including members of the royal family.

Sunday, 13 February 2011

Gay Marriage: Promises Promises

The Sunday Times have quite a scoop splashed on its front page - that's if it's true;
'Gays will get right to marry - Church of England to come under pressure as new marriage law reforms give homosexual couples the same right to marry as heterosexuals'
"Gay men and lesbians are to be given the same right to marry as heterosexual couples under marriage law reforms expected to be announced this week.
"The historic change will end the legal definition of marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman. A gay man would be entitled to call his spouse his husband, while married lesbians would be able to describe themselves as wives."
But they only back this up with a quote from an anonymous "Whitehall source" - who's actually a bit more vague.
"This is not just about gay rights but about religious freedom. Quakers and liberal Judaism want to do this. Attitudes have changed to gay marriage. We are going to look at what legislative steps we could begin to make gay marriage possible.”
So the government are just "going to look at" it?
Big deal - and various key Tories and Lib Dems have already said they're prepared to "think about it".
A pledge the Conservatives also made
in their Equalities Manifesto launched during the election campaign; "We will also consider the case for changing the law to allow civil partnerships to be called and classified as marriage."
Other papers, like The Observer today, are only saying that civil partnership ceremonies are likely to be allowed to be conducted in churches.
"The Coalition government is considering a change in the law to allow gay people to have marriage-style ceremonies in places of worship.
"Liberal Democrat Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone is expected to announce later this week that a ban on civil partnerships being conducted in religious venues is to be lifted."
The Observer adds; "It was not clear to what extent the change in law would allow civil partnership ceremonies to be brought into line with traditional weddings between heterosexual partners, or whether the term "marriage" would be officially used."
The Sunday Telegraph are also writing of (warning about?); 'Same-Sex Church Weddings', which they've put as the lead story on today's frot page, and have bizarrely called it an "exclusive".*
As the exact same headline 'Churches 'could host civil unions' appears in countless local papers websites, Fagburn assumes this is the official line/press release from The Equalities Office (It's not on their website, though).
The Independent On Sunday take a different angle; 'Resistance Mounts To Gay Couples Being Allowed To Marry In Church'.
But the IOS actually mean, not gay marriage but; "allowing same-sex couples to have their civil partnership ceremonies in religious buildings".
Interesting to note how common it is becoming to call civil partnerships "marriage", something that Fagburn believes is bringing gay marriage ever closer.
Hmm...
The government's Equalities Office is expected to make their announcement in a week or so.

* Note The Telegraph uses the word "Same-sex" not "gay" in its headline. Because of the economy of page layouts headlines normally use as short words as possible, and often invent abbreviations.
The Telegraph is the only UK newspaper that in its style guide advises journalists to use the word "homosexual".
The Daily Telegraph Style Books states; "gay: permissible in headlines if essential but use homosexual in text."
So Fagburn presumes in this instance they decided they didn't want the dreaded g-word screaming out on the front page...