News of the World: Mazher Mehmood's irresponsible journalism at its best
In the face of the spot-fixing scandal that has resulted in the suspension of three Pakistani cricketers by the ICC and the swathe of public outburst against Pakistan and its players, it is imperative to check for credibility before jumping the gun.
People are inherently interested in gossip, scandals and the completely absurd makes it to the top of news channels and media outlets. From our deep rooted interest in UFO’s to aliens or extra-terrestrials to the obsession with vampires and the apparent existence of the Yeti that invariably grabs our attention since it appeals to our utopian world of fancy where dragons live in lairs, and a princess is locked at the top of a tower – everything not normal is interesting. It is due to this particular interest in a world that makes us imagine the existence of the completely bizarre, that makes movies like Star Trek, Terminator, Twilight and other Hollywood productions highly successful.
The News of the world is renowned for publishing ludicrous scandal stories that has resulted in libel action taken against it time and time again. In 2000, the paper apparently initiated the “bold” move of naming and shaming “alleged” paedophiles after the abduction and murder of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Payne-c81269. The papers decision led to angry mobs, serving vigilante justice to “alleged” paedophiles. In a case of mistaken identity, the house of one such “paedophile” was attacked and the mob torched his car, damaged his house, threatening his life with the police condemning the act. One man was confronted since he wore a neck brace similar to the one an alleged “paedophile” was wearing.
The newspaper has come under heavy criticism as a result of certain new-gathering techniques, such as entrapment, and contentious campaigns. As a result of such practices, the News of the World has had to face several libel damages over false reports that attempted to malign famous celebrities including a number of sportsmen. In 2005, English footballer David Beckham and his wife http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Victoria-c859 brought legal action against the paper, seeking libel damages over an article that carried the headline: “Posh and Becks on the Rocks.” In 2006, the English footballer Wayne Rooney received £100,000 in damages from The News of the World and its sister paper “The Sun” over falsely accusing him of slapping his then fiancée and now wife, Coleen, both of whom denied the allegations.
In June of the same year “The Sun” and “The News of the World” paid £100,000 to Ashley Cole, after they alleged that the footballer had used his cell phone as a g*y s*x toy. In 2008, following a report published by the newspaper alleging Max Mosley of sadomasochistic sexual acts with five prostitutes, Mosley took legal action and the newspaper paid him £60,000 in damages and £450,000 in legal fees.
In February earlier this year, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt sued the News of the World after it published allegations about their relationship that said the couple would separate and had agreed on the division of assets and custody of their children.
Most recently the same newspaper is responsible for publishing reports of alleged spot-fixing by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Scotland-c756 Yard to date has been unable to find evidence linking the players to the spot fixing fiasco, over reports published by the tabloid. However, the report has led to the suspension of the Pakistan players.
If the various sports boards start handing out punishments and suspension of its players following reports published by the newspaper renowned for sensationalism, “yellow journalism” and "grossly irresponsible" journalism as said by the then Chief Constable of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Butler-c48850, then we would lose all our sports stars over false reports and wild accusations. If these allegations fail to bear fruit, and are proven to be an attempt to malign the Pakistani cricket stars, then strict action must be taken against the newspaper company that has been grossly violating the laws of journalism with the correspondents of this particular paper, spending stints at jail for illegally gaining access to the mobile phone messages of a variety of people of interest to the newspaper.
Mazher Mehmood, the journalist who apparently broke the story of spot-fixing, is known for his investigative journalism which according to many is “morally and ethically distasteful”, with his former boss Roy Greensdale, a journalism professor and British MP George Galloway heavily critical of his ways that they term more entrapment and less journalism.
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