The Sun: Erin Won't Go Bragh-less Anymore

(Photo credit: betsythedevine)

(Photo credit: The Library of Congress)

On the 39th anniversary of President Richard M. Nixon announcing he would resign the presidency, The Unruly of Law, as a serious media law and journalism blog, today should post about profound changes in the communications industry and serious challenges facing our deeply entrenched First Amendment principles.

But they don't call 'em the "Dog Days of summer" for nothing, so instead, "TUOL" reports that the Ireland edition of  Rupert Murdoch's tabloid The Sun this week decided to discontinue running photos of topless women on page 3 that will continue to appear in the Great Britain edition because of what Irish edition Editor Paul Clarkson labeled "cultural differences."

As reported by The Guardian, Clarkson explained that Page 3 is a "popular pillar of the Sun in the UK and part of a package (ed. note: some package!) of great journalism, which engages, entertains and informs in equal measure." The Irish Sun, Clarkson went on to say, strives "to cater for our own readers' needs and reflect the cultural differences in Ireland."

Those readers' needs must be behind the reason the Irish Sun on Monday published a nude photo of Hollywood siren Marilyn Monroe that did not display her nipples (Bust Stop?). According to The Guardian article, the Irish Sun, which sells more than 63,000 copies daily--plunging like a neckline from 72,000 a year ago--has thus far drawn one angry complaint over its decision to engage in a cover-up, so to speak, and "TUOL" hopes the protestor had the good sense not to leave his name.

One only hopes that all these years that the Irish Sun displayed Page 3's bare-breasted women didn't contribute to The Troubles. One also hopes that the self-censorship won't prevent The Irish Sun from publishing on this momentous day a photo of President Nixon's bust.

Beyonce's Dad Sues The Sun for Defamation

In Mathew Knowles & Music World Entertainment v. The Sun (Case No. 4:2013-cv-01845), filed last week in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, the father and former business manager of 31-year-old superstar Beyonce sued a U.K. tabloid for defamation and breach of contract.

According to an article in The Guardian, Knowles, 62, alleges The Sun, which is published by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.-owned NI Group Ltd., doctored a March 2013, interview he gave to Sun reporter Georgina Dickinson so as to appear as if his singer/actress daughter had "cut him out of her life." Additionally, the lawsuit contends that The Sun reneged on a contractual commitment to pay Knowles, who oversaw his daughter's career until 2011, for the exclusive sit-down interview.

The Complaint alleges that Dickinson's original text submitted to editors was radically rewritten to portray a father/daughter rift that doesn't exist. Knowles acknowledges the professional break-up with Beyonce, who is married to rapper Jay-Z, but claims a strong personal bond remains between them that was allegedly misrepresented in The Sun article that claimed he had yet to meet his granddaughter, Blue Ivy, who was 14 months old when the interview occurred.

The suit, to which The Sun  has yet to respond, seeks actual and punitive damages.

Paywalls Across the Pond

. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Telegraph Media Group, owner of The Daily Telegraph, has announced the U.K. daily will become the first national general interest paper to erect a metered paywall for its digital edition.

Visitors will be able to view 20 free articles a month before being offered two subscription packages; one that charges 1.99 pounds a month ($3.01) or 20 pounds annually ($30.25), and a comprehensive "full digital pack" for 9.99 pounds a month ($15.11) or 99 pounds a year ($149.75) that also includes tablet access to the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph and loyalty club membership (complete with secret decoder ring?). Under either option, subscribers will enjoy a one-month free trial. No start-up date for the paywall was indicated.

Meanwhile, The Sun, also expects to be charging visitors to view its online content sometime this year. The tabloid's online edition's monthly users are tenfold its print edition readership. The Pearson PLC-owned Financial Times has already enjoyed success in the U.K. with a metered paywall system.

UPDATE: Public Giggs

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeWelsh soccer star Ryan Giggs, Manchester United's left-winger, this week in London's High Court consented to lifting the anonymity injunction issued last April by Mr. Justice (David) Eady that prevented The Sun from identifying him as the married celebrity allegedly romantically involved with Imogen Thomas, the former Miss Wales and Big Brother competitor.

The Guardian reports that Mr. Justice (Michael) Tugendhat noted anonymity in the matter had been inapplicable since February 1.  That Giggs purportedly engaged in a six-month affair with Thomas was not a state secret as not only did the foreign press "out" him [see "TUOL" post 5/18/11], but also, Brits gleefully tweeted about the relationship and Democrat MP John Hemming identified Giggs in the House of Commons, where he was shielded from the court order by parliamentary privilege.

Mr. Justice Tugendhat is weighing Giggs' claim for damages against The Sun for allegedly invading his privacy.

'Botox Brittney' Story Needs an Injection of Media Ethics

Image via WikipediaIt's hard to find anyone to root for as the saga of "Botox Brittney" Upton, the 8-year-old girl who allegedly received Botox injections and virgin waxes, and purportedly was in line for a nose job and breast enhancement surgery, continues to unfold, or more accurately, unravel.

The stinkyjournalism.org Website today chronicles the depressing saga, which began with a March 23 story in the U.K. tabloid The Sun about 34-year-old Sheena Upton, a Birmingham, England, native residing in San Francisco with her daughter Brittney. The article, which included a photo of Sheena purportedly injecting her moppet's forehead with Botox, triggered a hailstorm of criticism and condemnation, which naturally, led to television appearances by Mom & daughter on ABC News' Good Morning America and CBS News" Inside Edition.

Sometimes, however, publicity is not such a good thing, as Mom learned when child protective services took Brittney away from needle-happy Sheena. Suddenly, Sheena Upton was calling herself Kerry Campbell and telling TMZ (not to be confused with The New York Times) that the whole saga was a hoax. She told the gossip site that she didn't even know what Botox was and that the whole story was staged.

If it's true that it's not true (so to speak), then the tv news organizations and the newspaper should be admonished for being so easily pranked and for not investigating the story thoroughly before it went viral. But as long as the media outlets already are at the proverbial woodshed, they also should be taken to task for engaging in mindless checkbook journalism, which is no substitute for real journalism.

According to Stinkyjournalism.org, The Sun allegedly gave Upton $200 for the story, fake name and faux photo. Inside Edition allegedly doled out $9,500 to Upton/Campbell and GMA was prepared to pay $10k to a British booker for the story. Rather than characterize the payment as checkbook journalism, GMA considered the $10k a photo licensing fee.

The sensationalism-hungry morning show viewers, eager to be outraged at the drop of a heat or needle-pricking of a pre-teen forehead, should be having some mea culpas with their morning coffee. The devoted staff of "TUOL" was angered by the distraction of the Botox story, which interrupted journalists and caused them to lose count of the number of Schwarzenegger love children.

English Court Upholds Soccer Star's Goal of Anonymity in Press Coverage of Extramarital Affair

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeAn English judge has denied efforts by News Group Newspapers-owned The Sun to lift his injunction barring the release of the name of a married soccer star who allegedly engaged in an extramarital dalliance with former Miss Wales and Big Brother contestant Imogen Thomas.

According to an article in The Guardian and posts by the www.stinkyjournalism.org and www.mediabistro.com/sportsnewser blogs, Mr. Justice (David) Eady issued a temporary injunction that barred The Sun and other U.K. press outlets from disclosing the name of the soccer player who purportedly was Ms. Thomas' lover during a six-month affair. The justice found the soccer player had a reasonable expectation of privacy and that there was "no legitimate public interest" in allowing him to be identified in press accounts.  Thomas said she had no intent to divulge his name, nor did she seek notoriety, but lacked 50,000 pounds ($80,718) to pursue an injunction against her name being used.

Mr. Justice Eady's decision has no bearing on foreign press coverage of the scandal, as the Spanish daily Sport and Argentina's La Republica newspapers and www.mediabistro.com/sportsnewer blog used to their advantage. Less in the interest of journalism than out of fairness to Ms. Thomas, "TUOL" notes that Manchester United's left winger, Ryan Giggs, of Wales, is the married footballer who allegedly went beyond on-field scoring.

Judges Find U,K. Dailies Contempible

Image via WikipediaAssociated Newspapers and News Group Newspapers Ltd., publishers of The Daily Mail and The Sun, respectively, are girding for penalties and costs after judges separately found the dailies violated England's strict liability rule under the 1981 Contempt of Court Act, according to today's The Guardian.

The offending papers in their online editions published photos of Ryan Ward, who was convicted in 2009 of the murder of mechanic Craig Wass, posing with a handgun. Although Ward dispatched the victim by striking him on the head with a brick, Attorney General Dominic Grieve nonetheless complained to the courts that the publications created a substantial risk of contaminating a jury by posting the inflammatory photos.

Mr. Justice Owen and Lord Justice Moses found the newspapers violated the strict liability rule "notwithstanding that publication of the image of the accused with a pistol was a mistake." Counsel for the newspapers had argued any prejudice caused by the publication of the photos was insubstantial and that the courts had adequately warned jurors to steer clear of the Internet. But Justice Moses wasn't buying it, noting that once a story or image is published on the Internet, it is nearly impossible to eradicate.

Rapist Sues Irish Media for Lower Profile

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According to an article in The Irish Times, a convicted serial rapist is seeking a permanent injunction against a handful of newspapers to prevent their continued reporting of his address and publication of his photo.

Michael Murray served 13 years of an 18-year sentence for raping four women and sexually asssaulting two others during a six-day reign of terror in 1995 before his release last July. Since Murray's return to society,  according to his attorney, stories have appeared in The Star and The Star on Sunday, including: "Serial Sex Beast Is Free to Roam the Streets" and  "Monster in Our Midst.," as well as The Evening Herald, which ran a photo under the headline "A Danger to Women," and other stories in News of the World and The Sun that refer to Murray as "this beast." Murray's attorney alleges the onslaught of publicity hinders Murray in his efforts to retain employment and causes him to move frequently.

The high court in Dublin must consider Murray's privacy rights, the news media's freedom of speech, and the public's interest in knowing the whereabouts and identity of dangerous individuals. Case law in the U.S. tends to side with the news media in such privacy cases, provided news stories about crimes and convicted felons are reported accurately. If Murray is camera shy and averse to the limelight, it probably would have behooved him not to rape women and terrorize the community, because such conduct tends to generate media attention.