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Ruffled Petals at the Guardian

by Bryan Hemming

Photo caricatures by Bryan Hemming

Photo caricatures by Bryan Hemming


In another principled stand against information it doesn’t like very much the Guardian has made it quite clear that anyone linking to the renegade Off-Guardian site will be banned from commenting. Serve them right, too!
According to Britain’s most inventive news outlet, OffG — an alternative ‘blog’ site set up by a bunch of disgruntled, good-for-nothing, rebel-rousers with nothing better to do— has the temerity to publish “statements of fact regarding our [The Guardian’s] journalists’ credibility”. Many will see the ban as a yet another priceless example of the superior newspaper’s brave struggle against an increasingly non-compliant readership. Some people don’t like hearing the truth even when it pokes them in the eye. They know very well who they are.
Bearing such admirable pluck in mind we can fully expect to see the ban extended to include another media outlet that has seen fit to show similar disrespect towards one of the UK’s most imaginative news organs, following the unearthing of a brazen assault on the credibility of one of its most valiant scribes.
In a blatantly muck-raking article picked up by The Lifeboat News — the new media watchdog born out of the former Media Lens message boardNewsweek, which describes itself as an American ‘magazine’, published an unprovoked attack on innocent little Luke Harding, who wouldn’t harm a fly. Even if it flew into his eye it wouldn’t have to die.
Appearing in the magazine’s European edition last April, the Newsweek article described Harding as “self-styled”. That is a despicable lie. Nothing could be further from the truth. Known for possessing more charm than a flute player with a snake in a basket, nobody could accuse ace scoop Harding of having any style whatsoever.
In How ‘The Guardian’ Milked Edward Snowden’s Story, horrid Julian Assange blasts poor, old Luke —who adores fluffy kittens like mad, incidentally— in a way that makes most Off-Guardian criticisms look like unrequited missives from the lovelorn.
It seems the heartless editors of Newsweek don’t give a fig about hurting the sensibilities of the little petals down at the Guardian. Well, they going to learn a lesson they won’t forget in a hurry if the newspaper’s firm response against Off-Guardian is anything to go by. You wouldn’t get honourable journalists like Luke Harding and Marina Hyde slagging off other journalists, would you now? It just isn’t cricket.
I expect they’ll all be shaking in their boots down at Newsweek HQ this week. And well they might.
Editor Katharine Viner can rest assured she will receive the full weight of my support in imposing a ban on this Newsweek thingummy, whatever it calls itself, to take effect immediately. You show ‘em who’s boss, Kath!


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Eric_B
Eric_B
Feb 25, 2016 12:50 AM

Delusional Guardian Moscow hack Alec Luhn believes he can actually sing in a rock band.

bevin
bevin
Feb 17, 2016 4:04 PM

The Guardian increasingly reminds one of Brecht’s charge that, in the wake of riots in Berlin, the government of East Germany (the GDR) had passed a motion of no confidence in the people.
The Guardian is close to passing a motion of no confidence in its readers. It will not be long before the editors realise that they could save themselves the expense of banning commenters and erasing unsuitable opinions by simply employing their own echo chamber and banning all other comments.
The time is coming when comment will be restricted entirely to sports and entertainment stories.

Mike John Elissen
Mike John Elissen
Mar 2, 2016 10:28 PM
Reply to  bevin

Some Dutch column writers even accuse their readers of stupidity for not following their logic and opinion. See Rob de Wijk`s column in Trouw newspaper, where he wines about the lack of insight of his own readers (because he got burned in the comment section after his 25th anti-Russia column)
http://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/6844/Rob-de-Wijk/article/detail/4248125/2016/02/19/We-krijgen-er-weer-een-bevroren-conflict-bij.dhtml

mohandeer
mohandeer
Feb 17, 2016 11:25 AM

Reblogged this on wgrovedotnet and commented:
There is an easy solution to the Graundian’s problems they could desist from propagandist utterances which bear no resemblance to facts, minimise their propagandist misinformation, curb their enthusiasm for their carelessness with the truth and stop fecking lying their socks off!
To think I once gave credence to the Guardian “news”paper cum tripe dogs dinner.

Mihangel apYrs
Mihangel apYrs
Feb 17, 2016 10:15 PM
Reply to  mohandeer

I started reading the Graun 40 years ago as a student (before that I read the Telegraph that daddy got), and there were journalists of quality. It has now turned into a politically-correct student-level rag where opinion is censored.
I was banned finally from comment about 4 months ago. I parted company with them since their biases were were so obvious and unacceptable

mohandeer
mohandeer
Feb 17, 2016 11:24 AM

There is an easy solution to the Graundian’s problems they could desist from propagandist utterances which bear no resemblance to facts, minimise their propagandist misinformation, curb their enthusiasm for their carelessness with the truth and stop fecking lying their socks off!
To think I once gave credence to the Guardian “news”paper cum tripe dogs dinner.

siemreapnews
siemreapnews
Feb 17, 2016 10:17 AM

Reblogged this on Siem Reap Mirror.