An unprecedented 22,000 complaints had been made to the Press Complaints Commission on Monday October 19 concerning an article written by Moir. The figure, received in one weekend, was more than the regulator had received in five years.
Boyzone Singer Died In Majorca
Moir commented on the sudden death of Boyzone singer Stephen Gateley in Majorca on Saturday October 10. A popular member of the hugely successful Irish boyband, Gateley died of natural causes while on holiday with his partner. He was found by a Bulgarian friend in his and partner Andrew Cowles' apartment. A post-mortem revealed he had died due to a build-up of fluid on the lungs. Gateley was one of the first pop stars to come out publicly in 1999, having feared a former member of Boyzone's security was about to sell the story to a tabloid newspaper in the UK.
Daily Mail Columnist Expresses Views On Eve Of Gateley Funeral
In the column, which ran on Friday October 16, the day before the funeral of the 33-year-old in Dublin, Moir revealed how she found Gateley’s death "...not, by any yardstick, a natural one," while also stating that "under the carapace of glittering, hedonistic celebrity, the ooze of a very different and more dangerous lifestyle has seeped out for all to see. The online headline for the article, "Why there was nothing 'natural' about Stephen Gateley’s death" was later amended to the print edition headline: "A strange, lonely and troubling death."
The PCC And The UK Press
The PCC Code acts as an ethical and practical guideline for self-regulation of the UK press. Clauses are included on discrimination, stating "the press must avoid prejudicial or pejorative reference to an individual’s race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation or to any physical or mental illness or disability." Complaints from those "directly-affected parties" – in this case Gateley’s family – would then be enough to launch an investigation, but such has been the reaction to Moir’s words that should individual family members not make a complaint, the PCC will still be seeking a response from the newspaper before considering any issues under the code to pursue. The PCC's Editors' Code of Practice Committee is chaired by Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre.
Marks & Spencer Withdraw Daily Mail Online Page Advertising
Marks & Spencer asked the newspaper to move an advertisement which appeared alongside the online version of the article, while there was angry reaction on social networking sites, by celebrities and by other high-profile UK columnists including Charlie Brooker and Janet Street-Porter.
Daily Mail's Jan Moir On Reaction To Gateley ArticleThrough the Daily Mail, Moir released a statement defending the column, and that any offence directed towards the gay community "was never my intention." She insisted she was simply questioning the suddenness of the death of what appeared to be a fit and healthy human being.
Irish Daily Mail Distances Itself From Moir
The Irish Daily Mail did not publish Moir’s article and stated no link to the UK Daily Mail and Mail On Sunday. The newspaper also included a disclaimer in The Irish Mail on Sunday and Irish Mail the following day, October 20. The editors of both newspapers joined the Dublin-based operation from the UK Mail On Sunday.
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