Wednesday 23 May 2012

targeted? how exactly?

the Leveson inquiry goes on, and Tom Watson MP has been giving evidence to it.  According to this report, Watson referred to the "targeting" of then MP Martin Salter for opposing "Sarah's Law" as an example of the power wielded by the Murdoch empire.  He's got that one way wrong.  First of all, Salter was not actually targeted at all.  He was pictured in the News of the World, with about eight other MPs, all of the pictures seriously unflattering, because all had responded to the paper's call on MPs to support "Sarah's Law" with vocal opposition.  (Me, I threw that letter in the bin and ignored it all).  That was the extent of the "targeting" that took place.  Anything else was in Mr Salter's press releases,  Even His Master's Voice frames their copy of his press release as a question, perhaps because even they balked at the reproduction in his press release of the completely false story that a paediatrician was burned out of their home because of the activities of News of the World journalists.  Didn't stop them copying it out though.  Allegedly, Devon and Cornwall police at one stage had evidence that an investigator was looking at Mr Salter's activities.  Well, if one was he didn't work very hard at it, or he would have found the fraudulent housing allowance claims from 1997 to 2001 (when disclosure rules came in) - about 48K trousered for a non-existent London flat.  I posted about the allegations last year here.  Now Mr Watson, I have read your book 'Dial M for Murdoch' (great title, shame about the numerous inaccuracies) and you ought to be a bit more careful.  I don't know if Leveson questioned you about the "targeting" but he ought to have done.  What? Exactly? Happened?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bollocks. Some of us know about 'targeting'. I seem to recall, Jane, that you were actually 'targeted' by The Filth in its Diary column -- for two weeks non stop - yes?
That column had a little hate hit list that I was on too. Not phone hacking. NO. But undermining on a daily drip drip basis. For no reason apart from pure spite. Like picking the wings off a butterfly. To the extent that all that had to be done was for people to ring that diarist and his successor and make up anything and it would be printed if it referred to certain people. No care or concern for accuracy. That is targeting. I seem to recall also, that a certain Mcguire, Pants on Fire - had a little targetette at you too - also a few other poeple. To the extent that everything they said and did and wore was treated like shit. And double shit. And this extended to evrything and all the time. That is targeting.
For someone to bleat because they appear in a mug shot gallery ONCE in a paper is pure and utter tripe. That is called normal for people in public life. And if Tom Watson - let alone Salter, doesn't know that then he is seriously insane. Salter a 'target' Bollocks.

janestheone said...

well, absolutely. The more I see of Tom Watson the more full of it he appears to be.

Anonymous said...

If you're so bent out of shape about it, why not drop Tommy Boy a line? I'm sure he'd jump at the chance of a G&T for old times sake, no?