Enemies of Reason Poundshop potshots at the media moral maze.

Femail oopsie

I tend not to look at that shite down the right-hand side of the Mail website - or "Femail" as it's also known. It's usually just some tittle-tattle bollocks about oooh, doesn't she look rank, urgh look at her, ooh she's rough as a badger's arse, and so on. You know the drill. I did notice the other day a story about Lisa-Marie Presley, though I didn't click on it... however, now I notice it's got the Hate in a little bit of trouble because...

Singer Presley sues over article

Doh!

Singer Lisa Marie Presley is suing the Daily Mail for libel over publishing an article alleging she is overweight.

(Unrelated rant. Don't read this bit if you don't want to. Honestly, bugger off. Right, just me here? Good. Now, can I just say something about tenses, reported speech and so on. Please. I know it's withering on the vine, but can't journalists just learn a little bit about communicating in the English language? Can't they? Why couldn't the witless turd who wrote this article have said "over publishing an article alleging she was overweight". That would have been right. Honestly, it would. I know some spotty little wanker would pipe up and say "Oh but then that sounds like she isn't overweight any more" but BECAUSE SOMEONE'S WRONG, DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO PANDER TO THEM. Just because kids don't learn spelling, punctuation or grammar at school any more doesn't mean you're allowed to give up all of a sudden, merely because you have to delve down into the lowest common denominator. Whatever happened to being correct with things? The correct use of 'whom' and 'who'? You don't see French newspapers getting 'qui' and 'que' wrong because their bloody children learn about grammar at a young age, almost as if, oh I don't know, there's some kind of pride in accuracy and stuff. When I was a kid, we were told that spellings didn't matter, it was all about 'expressing yourself'. What a load of nuts. God it drives me mad. Mad! Also, 'either' is singular. Just a fucking pointer. All right? Anyway, sorry about that, I just had to. I imagine some bright spark will point out a literal in this article now. But bog off, I'm just a blogger...)

The 40-year-old daughter of Elvis Presley said the story, which was widely republished worldwide, forced her to confirm she is expecting a baby.

Another Yank trying out the UK libel fruit machine. Oh well, I suppose I should be happy, seeing as it's the Mail...

Her UK laywer Simon Smith said claims that she had an "unhealthy appetite" and is "growing like her dad" had left the star "deeply upset and offended".

That is a bit grim.

"I have had to show my cards and announce under the gun and under vicious personal attack that I am in fact pregnant," she wrote.

I suppose that there is a point regarding a woman's right to keep things to herself, especially in the early months of pregnancy. I don't see how any newspaper ever reporting anything about someone who's slightly fatter/thinner than they were before is newsworthy in the slightest, but there you are. Supposedly it's what women want, which is why it's dumped in the Femail section.

Now I know that even linking to a website counts as republishing, and seeing as I don't want to get into trouble for anything like that, I'd better not put the link here. Suffice it to say it's still on the Hate's website, and it's pretty bloody pisspoor, as a journalistic article, as a piece of work, and as an utter non-story load of bollocks that shouldn't be anywhere near a newspaper. Sounds like a classic Mail story then.

However, some of the Mail commenters, as we've seen before, get surprisingly pissed off by the article...

If somebody sat watching you with a camera, there would be some terrible shots of you as well. She is carrying a little more weight than she used to, but she is NOT fat!

Lisa is obviously out eating with hubby and friends, minding her own business. Don´t we all like a lazy day now and then without make up on, and comfortable clothes! And who of you would look glamorous while eating?? Not many - I am sure! Leave her alone! She is a great person, and still a very beautiful woman in my opinion!

Leave her alone, let her enjoy what real life is, to eat and enjoy the food like the rest of us normal people, I don't like salad, so good on you, enjoy food but eat 3 times a day.

I don't understand what the big deal is. Is it compulsory to be a size 4 - or even a size 10 - these days? Leave the woman alone. Maybe she is just destined to be heavy. That isn't a crime in my book and should not be in anyone else's.

This is not just weight gain. It's obvious that she is not well or is suffering from some sort of condition. Maybe something to do with the pregnancy, maybe not.
Leave Lisa alone to get well again. All the best Lisa, I hope that you are better soon.

Well yes, the pregnancy that hadn't been mentioned in the story. Well, there are some evil comments in there as well along the lines of "Ooh look at tubby!" but some other more compassionate ones. I'm sure Mail readers will resume their normal service soon enough...

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