Journalism.co.uk Editors' Blog » Independent

Independent apologises for ’seriously defamatory’ headline

Judith Townend — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:51:32 +0000

Independent News & Media has apologised for a “seriously defamatory” headline on a comment piece by blogger and writer Zoe Margolis published in the Independent on Sunday [see background here]. In a correction published on its site today, the newspaper said:

On 7 March 2010, we published an article by Zoe Margolis. In part of the first edition of the newspaper and online, this article carried the headline, “I was a hooker who became an agony aunt”. This was written by the newspaper not Ms Margolis. We accept that Ms Margolis is not and never has been “a hooker” or otherwise involved in the sex industry. The wording of the headline was a mistake and seriously defamatory of Ms Margolis. We offer our sincere apologies to Ms Margolis for the damage to her reputation and the distress and embarrassment which she has suffered.

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Independent publishes Trafigura story correction

Laura Oliver — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:16:46 +0000

The Independent published a correction yesterday concerning its front page story from September 2009 ‘Toxic shame’, which contained claims of individuals who alleged they had been injured as a result of illegal dumping of waste in the Cote d’Ivoire by a Trafigura ship:

The article stated that claimants had been maimed and wrongly suggested that, due to the settlement, claims of more serious injuries including miscarriages would not be tested in the High Court case. In fact such claims had already been withdrawn earlier last year. A joint statement issued by both parties in that case said that independent experts have been “unable to identify a link between exposure to the chemicals… and deaths, miscarriages, still births, birth defects … or other serious and chronic injuries”. The story featured the photograph of a woman with a severely scarred face, a condition which Trafigura says, and we accept, cannot therefore have been caused by the waste. We are happy to set the record straight.

Full correction at this link…

Trafigura and its lawyers Carter-Ruck were at the centre of last year’s super injunction debate after Carter-Ruck abandoned an attempt to prevent the Guardian from reporting a parliamentary question about the company.

In December the oil trader ended its legal dispute with BBC Newsnight. The programme agreed to: apologise for allegations made about waste dumping in Côte d’Ivoire on air and pay £25,000 to a charity of Trafigura’s choice, as well as legal costs.

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The Indy’s new wall

Judith Townend — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:01:53 +0000

Independent.co.uk has a new wall, but it’s not of the Murdochian sort. It’s a News Wall displaying free content.

“It’s basically just a different way of presenting content. It simply pulls in new stories which have pictures attached and presents them,” editorial director for digital, Jimmy Leach, told Journalism.co.uk.

“It’s an aggregator of our own content, but trying to be an engaging one. Partly different presentation and partly, to be honest, an SEO play, giving the spiders something to crawl over,” he said.

Meanwhile, one of his colleagues, Pandora diarist Alice-Azania Jarvis, isn’t entirely convinced. But what’s it for, she tweeted. Leach replied: “It’s a wall. It has news on it. It’s the News Wall. C’mon, what else do you need?”

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FT.com: Standard’s Lebedev renews talks with Independent

Laura Oliver — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:00:54 +0000

Alexander Lebedev, the Russian owner of the London Evening Standard, has resumed talks with Independent News & Media (INM) about buying its UK national newspapers.

According to FT sources, the discussion has been restated after it was initially put on hold over the summer while INM focused on restructuring its £1.2 billion debt.

Full story at this link…

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#Followjourn: @iburrell/media editor

Judith Townend — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:03:00 +0000

#FollowJourn: Ian Burrell

Who? Media editor, the Independent.

What? Covers media industry news for the Independent newspaper and site.

Where? On Twitter he’s @iburrell. Follow his work at Independent.co.uk and on the Independent Minds blog.

Contact? Via the Independent or on Twitter.

Just as we like to supply you with fresh and innovative tips every day, we’re recommending journalists to follow online too. They might be from any sector of the industry: please send suggestions (you can nominate yourself) to judith or laura at journalism.co.uk; or to @journalismnews.

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Independent.co.uk: Government plans for secret inquests

Judith Townend — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:20:50 +0000

“Plans to introduce secret inquiries into controversial deaths from which the public and bereaved families could be banned are to be pushed through the House of Commons by the Government,” reports the Independent.

“Last night ministers suffered a humiliating defeat for the proposals in the House of Lords, but insisted that they were ‘clear’ that ‘harmful material’ must not be made public, and would reintroduce the measures in the Commons.”

Full story at this link…

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Independent.co.uk: London Evening Standard runs into permit problems

Judith Townend — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:47:29 +0000

“The London Evening Standard’s second day as a free newspaper did not go as smoothly as the first, after its distributors were forced off the streets of Kensington and Chelsea because they did not have correct permits,” reports the Independent. The situation has now been resolved, a spokesperson from the Standard said.

Full story at this link…

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Independent launches 2009 Wyn Harness young journalist prize

Harriet Massing — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:34:59 +0000

UPDATE (25/11): DEADLINE FOR PRIZE EXTENDED, SEE BELOW

The Independent has launched the second year of the Wyn Harness Prize for Young Journalists – a competition for any aspiring newspaper journalists under the age of 26 (as of December 31 2009).

The winner will receive a cash bursary of £1,000; have their entry published in the Independent; and have a two-week work placement in its London newsroom.

To enter, candidates must write a 500-700 word news report about an aspect of Britain or British society that rarely makes the headlines.

It should be unusual and eye-opening, as well as being accurate, well researched and stylishly written. This must be emailed to features [at] independent.co.uk by midnight on Sunday 22 November by midnight on Sunday 6 December.

The winner of the prize will be announced on 14 December 21 December.

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Newspaper lessons learnt by Roger Alton

Judith Townend — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:24:14 +0000

Independent editor, Roger Alton shares five hard lessons he has learnt about newspapers in the current edition of The Word Magazine. Jon Slattery has provided an edited version at this link.

Spell-check is a sat-nav for language, Alton says, and ‘journalists should be involved with everything and everyone around them, but not necessarily sleep with them..’

On celebrity content Alton says: “If you can’t see that Britney shaving her own hair off matters, just as the Budget matters, or Bono, though not necessarily in the same way, you aren’t going to enjoy working in newspapers.”

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Independent in High Court to challenge closed court cases

Judith Townend — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:11:56 +0000

The Independent reports how its group, Independent News & Media (INM), supported by other media organisations, is currently challenging private hearings for certain cases.

“The cases involve vulnerable people incapable of managing their own affairs, including brain-damaged soldiers, people with Alzheimer’s disease and others lacking mental capacity.

“In a test case before the High Court in London, this newspaper argued that such matters should not be decided in secret by the newly created Court of Public Protection.”

This latest challenge follows the opening up of the family courts earlier this year.

The case will continue at the High Court today.

Independent story at this link…

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