British paper apologises for bushfires headline as telethon raises $21m
The Mail On Sunday newspaper has issued an apology for its insensitive “Er, Bruce… the fire’s the other way!” headline.
As Mumbrella discussed earlier this week, the British midmarket newspaper ran a large image of a fire truck heading away from a blaze, with the offensive headline. But a spokesman for the newspaper this morning told Mumbrella:
“This picture arrived shortly before we went to press last Saturday, when the full extent of the damage caused by the fires was not known in London. Nonetheless it is now clear that the headline, which ran on page 37, was entirely inappropriate and we apologise unreservedly for it, and for any offence it may have caused.”
In a similar case, the celebrity website TMZ yesterday apologised for comments poking fun at the much-published image of a firefighter giving water to a koala.
Meanwhile, Who magazine, published by Pacific Magazines, has rushed a bushfire edition onto the news stands.
It goes on sale today, with a 10c donation from the cover price going to the bushfire appeal.
And last night saw the Nine Network’s Australia Unites telethon appeal for victims of the bushfires. The show, which ran for the entire evening, raised more than $21m.
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The Mail on Sunday may not have know the extent of the fires when it went to print, but I think that photo clearly shows the fire was no joking matter. As a Pom, it’s just another example of the British tabloids being an embarrassment to our country…
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It’s a shame the MoS had to be forced into an apology by Mumbrella rather than volunteering one.
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After reading of this highly offensive headline on Mumbrella, I actually posted a scathing criticism of the Mail on Sunday on another bushfire article on their website. Their moderator has to date “failed to load my comment” to the article. So much for Free Speech and consumers being able to interact with content online.
In the context of their blocking of any consumer dissent, I think a forced rather than volunteered apology (which should have beeno ut no later than first thing Monday morning in the UK) from the Mail on Sunday is nowhere near sufficient to address the offensiveness of the article.
As so many media owners are trying be proactive in these difficult times, either through fundraising eg Ch 9 & Austereo or being on the frontline of disseminating vital informaiton to communities eg ABC, should the media industry insitigate a short term boycott of revenue for DMG, who have plenty of media assets in Australia? That might teach the Mail on Sunday to develop a slightly less mean spirited view of the world.
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I agree with Jen. The photo gives quite a clear indication of the situation, that it is far from a laughing matter.
Australia has always been a nation to rally and support our international neighbours in times of need. Often we’re one of the first in line to help. It’s a shame that there a select few that don’t offer the same support. TMZ in NZ has also put to print rather detestable comments.
One positive thing I will take from this horrific time is the instant support from Australians as a whole. The willingness from so many people to lend a hand.
However in agreeance with Steve, our media companies here have shown an incredible show of solidarity in helping this cause. It’s a shame that our international “friends” haven’t shown the same fortitude.
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Typical Daily Mail.
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TMZ in NZ? That makes it sound like TMZ is an NZ website which it is absolutely not.
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