Showing posts with label Amy Winehouse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amy Winehouse. Show all posts
Wednesday, 5 August 2009
Street of Shame pt. 94.
Here's the Sun's mentions in today's Private Eye Street of Shame column (1242), which you'll need to click:
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
No shame over Amy Winehouse.
The Sun has led the last two days on Amy Winehouse's ex-husband's story of life with her, the paper having bought it, doubtless for a huge wad of cash.
This is despite the fact that the newspaper on numerous occasions directly blamed Blake Fielder-Civil for Winehouse's descent into drug addiction, and which it is now handsomely profiting from, with such eye-opening exclusives as the fact that Fielder-Civil saved her from an overdose, and that she stole cocaine from Kate Moss's bag. Winehouse herself in fact claimed that Fielder-Civil saved her, as reported by the Sun at the time, except with the added aside by the paper that FC then left her in hospital to go and collect another fix. Doubtless though, the Sun was merely misinformed, and reports headlined "Amy's lag hubby has no shame", "Amy and Blake back to worst", "for God's sake, get help Amy!", "Amy stop your brainrotting", and "You should be ashamed Blake" were mistakes, all now rectified thanks to a bulging cheque. The Sun of course, when it comes to circulation and making money, has no shame over such reverse ferrets.
This is despite the fact that the newspaper on numerous occasions directly blamed Blake Fielder-Civil for Winehouse's descent into drug addiction, and which it is now handsomely profiting from, with such eye-opening exclusives as the fact that Fielder-Civil saved her from an overdose, and that she stole cocaine from Kate Moss's bag. Winehouse herself in fact claimed that Fielder-Civil saved her, as reported by the Sun at the time, except with the added aside by the paper that FC then left her in hospital to go and collect another fix. Doubtless though, the Sun was merely misinformed, and reports headlined "Amy's lag hubby has no shame", "Amy and Blake back to worst", "for God's sake, get help Amy!", "Amy stop your brainrotting", and "You should be ashamed Blake" were mistakes, all now rectified thanks to a bulging cheque. The Sun of course, when it comes to circulation and making money, has no shame over such reverse ferrets.
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
The Echo Chamber
The mission of this blog from the outset has been to show people the lies told in The Sun in the hope of turning tabloid readers away from this newspaper.
Often we will hear people 'defend' that tabloid on the basis that no-one believes their nonsense.
We humbly beg to differ on this point, not least because there are plenty of news outlets willing to repeat their nonsense, and not all of their readers realise that The Sun is the sole source of what they are reading (if The Sun is listed as a source at all).
Fear is a cumulative thing, after all, and not always subject to logic.
Thanks to the hard work of editor Sim-O, we now have an excellent example of this echo chamber at work, and from today, Sun Lies editors and other contributors will be working through this list as part of a - *cough* - polite letter-writing campaign designed to (a) show people how the echo chamber works, and (b) provide us with a starting point so we can clean up some of the mess The Sun left behind when they selfishly backed away from the story instead of pointing out to other news outlets that they were wrong, and their 'expert' was a fraud...
... which neatly brings us to the list of things you'll want to keep in mind when browsing through this incomplete list of stories resulting from The Sun's 'scoop':
1. The Sun wilfully distorted the evidence presented by terror 'expert' Glen Jenvey in order to sex up what became a front page story.
2. Further, the evidence presented by terror 'expert' Glen Jenvey turned out to be falsified/planted *by* terror 'expert' Glen Jenvey.
3. After this was discovered, The Sun quietly removed their article from their website, but failed to issue a retraction.
4. Some initial comments and emails issued by editors of this blog and/or readers of Bloggerheads have resulted in some other articles being removed, but for the most part, the written record states that this happened (when it clearly didn't), and there is very little in the world of mainstream media that suggests otherwise.
5. Please note that some articles out there like this one involve a critical eye and independent reporting, *not* a simple repeat of the story. The Telegraph, unlike some newspapers, were also kind enough to publish our comment about major inaccuracies in the story. Please also note that examples like this are very, very thin on the ground.
6. A classic case of Chinese whispers for fans of the echo chamber; The Sun took the list of names offered (!) by Glen Jenvey in his guise as 'abuislam' (Sir Alan Sugar, Alan Howard, David Miliband) and decided it needed a bit of sexing up for the text generation, so they had a browse through this list of 100 names from a link posted to that discussion, and picked out Mark Ronson (at #62), mainly because of his connection to Amy Winehouse. The opening paragraph from the since-removed article declared that "TV’s The Apprentice boss Sir Alan Sugar and Amy Winehouse record producer Mark Ronson are among prominent names discussed on a fanatics’ website" and this was quickly interpreted (and then repeated) as Amy Winehouse being a 'target', and not merely the most famous client of a 'target'. The Sun did nothing to correct this, before or after their entire story was proved false.
7. There are also clear cases such as this, where it has gone to being a story reported as being from The Sun in NME to NME being presented as if it were a source.
"No-one believes The Sun"...? Bollocks to that.
OK, there's your background. Here are close to fifty examples from the echo chamber, starting with The Sun's front page 'scoop' that kicked things off. Articles like those listed below appeared around the world in multiple languages, not only online, but in print, and in news bulletins on radio and television. What we present here is just the tip of the iceberg:
[This list will be updated and labels attached to removed/corrected articles as our clean-up efforts progress.]
(Psst! You may also have noticed after browsing through that list that the name of terror 'expert' Glen Jenvey also echoed around the world. Would it be wrong to suspect that this is one of the reasons why he tells such awful lies?)
Often we will hear people 'defend' that tabloid on the basis that no-one believes their nonsense.
We humbly beg to differ on this point, not least because there are plenty of news outlets willing to repeat their nonsense, and not all of their readers realise that The Sun is the sole source of what they are reading (if The Sun is listed as a source at all).
Fear is a cumulative thing, after all, and not always subject to logic.
Thanks to the hard work of editor Sim-O, we now have an excellent example of this echo chamber at work, and from today, Sun Lies editors and other contributors will be working through this list as part of a - *cough* - polite letter-writing campaign designed to (a) show people how the echo chamber works, and (b) provide us with a starting point so we can clean up some of the mess The Sun left behind when they selfishly backed away from the story instead of pointing out to other news outlets that they were wrong, and their 'expert' was a fraud...
... which neatly brings us to the list of things you'll want to keep in mind when browsing through this incomplete list of stories resulting from The Sun's 'scoop':
1. The Sun wilfully distorted the evidence presented by terror 'expert' Glen Jenvey in order to sex up what became a front page story.
2. Further, the evidence presented by terror 'expert' Glen Jenvey turned out to be falsified/planted *by* terror 'expert' Glen Jenvey.
3. After this was discovered, The Sun quietly removed their article from their website, but failed to issue a retraction.
4. Some initial comments and emails issued by editors of this blog and/or readers of Bloggerheads have resulted in some other articles being removed, but for the most part, the written record states that this happened (when it clearly didn't), and there is very little in the world of mainstream media that suggests otherwise.
5. Please note that some articles out there like this one involve a critical eye and independent reporting, *not* a simple repeat of the story. The Telegraph, unlike some newspapers, were also kind enough to publish our comment about major inaccuracies in the story. Please also note that examples like this are very, very thin on the ground.
6. A classic case of Chinese whispers for fans of the echo chamber; The Sun took the list of names offered (!) by Glen Jenvey in his guise as 'abuislam' (Sir Alan Sugar, Alan Howard, David Miliband) and decided it needed a bit of sexing up for the text generation, so they had a browse through this list of 100 names from a link posted to that discussion, and picked out Mark Ronson (at #62), mainly because of his connection to Amy Winehouse. The opening paragraph from the since-removed article declared that "TV’s The Apprentice boss Sir Alan Sugar and Amy Winehouse record producer Mark Ronson are among prominent names discussed on a fanatics’ website" and this was quickly interpreted (and then repeated) as Amy Winehouse being a 'target', and not merely the most famous client of a 'target'. The Sun did nothing to correct this, before or after their entire story was proved false.
7. There are also clear cases such as this, where it has gone to being a story reported as being from The Sun in NME to NME being presented as if it were a source.
"No-one believes The Sun"...? Bollocks to that.
OK, there's your background. Here are close to fifty examples from the echo chamber, starting with The Sun's front page 'scoop' that kicked things off. Articles like those listed below appeared around the world in multiple languages, not only online, but in print, and in news bulletins on radio and television. What we present here is just the tip of the iceberg:
[This list will be updated and labels attached to removed/corrected articles as our clean-up efforts progress.]
QUIETLY WITHDRAWN WITHOUT A RETRACTION:
Hate hit list
The Sun, UK -6 Jan 2009
By JOHN COLES FEARS grew last night that hate-filled Islamic extremists are drawing up a "hit list" of Britain's leading Jews — bringing the Middle East ...
QUIETLY WITHDRAWN WITHOUT A RETRACTION:
David Miliband and Sir Alan Sugar 'targeted' in anti-semitic hit ...
Daily Mail, UK -6 Jan 2009
By Tamara Cohen Islamic fundamentalists have drawn up an online list of Jewish 'targets' including David Milliband and Sir Alan Sugar. ...
QUIETLY WITHDRAWN WITHOUT A RETRACTION:
Sir Alan 'target for extremists'
guardian.co.uk, UK -6 Jan 2009
Apprentice star Sir Alan Sugar has been said to be among a list of top British Jews thought to be targeted by extremists over Israel's Gaza onslaught. ...
WITHDRAWN FOLLOWING OUR EMAIL ALERT CAMPAIGN:
Sugar 'target for extremists'
TeleText, UK -6 Jan 2009
Apprentice star Sir Alan Sugar is said to be among a list of top British Jews thought to be targeted by extremists over Israel's Gaza onslaught. ...
QUIETLY WITHDRAWN WITHOUT A RETRACTION:
Winehouse named on Islamic terror list
Digital Spy, UK -7 Jan 2009
By David Balls The singer was added to a list of 'top Jews to target' on the fundamentalist forum following recent troubles in the Middle East. ...
QUIETLY WITHDRAWN WITHOUT A RETRACTION:
Amy Winehouse 'Named On Islamic Extremist Terror List'
Gigwise, UK -7 Jan 2009
by Jason Gregory Amy Winehouse has been named as a "terror target" on a hit list compiled by Islamic extremists, according to reports. ...
CORRECTION PUBLISHED UNDER/VIA COMMENTS:
Do we need to protect Alan Sugar?
guardian.co.uk, UK -7 Jan 2009
At last, to the delight of the many people who stop by to complain that the majority of posts on this blog confusingly and irritatingly concern showbusiness ...
Report: Islamist site compiling list of UK Jews to target over Gaza op
Ha'aretz, Israel -7 Jan 2009
By Haaretz Service An Islamic extremist Web site is believed to be drawing up a list of prominent British Jews to target over Israel's offensive against ...
Sugar could be Hamas target
Herald.ie, Ireland -7 Jan 2009
Apprentice star Alan Sugar was said today to be among a list of top British Jews thought to be targeted by extremists over Israel's Gaza onslaught. ...
Kill 'em. Kill 'em all
Irish Independent, Ireland -7 Jan 2009
As the current unpleasantness in the Middle East continues -- you may have seen something about it on the news -- it seems that the problems in the region ...
CORRECTION PUBLISHED FOLLOWING OUR EMAIL ALERT CAMPAIGN:
Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson 'targeted by Islamic extremists'
NME.com, UK -7 Jan 2009
Reports have emerged today (January 7) claiming that Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson have been included on a "terror target" hit list made in reaction to the ...
CORRECTION PUBLISHED UNDER/VIA COMMENTS:
Amy Winehouse allegedly targeted by Islamic extremists
Prefixmag, NY -7 Jan 2009
It's rare for Amy Winehouse to be out of the headlines, but this time she may have become the unwitting target of an alarming hate campaign. ...
CORRECTION PUBLISHED UNDER/VIA COMMENTS:
Shields MP on terror hit list
Shields Gazette, UK -7 Jan 2009
By Paul Myles-Kelly SOUTH Shields MP David Miliband is said to be among leading British figures targeted on an extremist Islamic "hit list". ...
CORRECTION PUBLISHED UNDER/VIA COMMENTS:
British Jews Under Threat of Revenge Attacks
ShortNews.com, Germany -7 Jan 2009
Well known British Jews have been warned about revenge attacks carried out by Islamic extremists. Authorities fear a hit list of celebrities and politicians ...
Extremists have drawn up Brit Jew hit list
Sify, India -7 Jan 2009
London: Hate-filled Islamic extremists are reported to be drawing up a "hit list" of Britain's leading Jews. The Sun reports British anti-terror expert Glen ...
WITHDRAWN FOLLOWING OUR EMAIL ALERT CAMPAIGN:
List of leading British Jews is posted on extremist website
This is London, UK -7 Jan 2009
APPRENTICE star Sir Alan Sugar and pop producer Mark Ronson are among a list of leading British Jews thought to be targeted by extremists over Israel's ...
Amy auf Todesliste islamischer Extremisten
Blick Online -8. Jan. 2009
Islamische Extremisten haben es auf die britische Sängerin Amy Winehouse abgesehen. Auf der Todesliste, die auf Hass-Internetseite «Ummah» auftauchte, ...
Amy Winehouse, blanco de terroristas
esmas, Mexico -8 Jan 2009
Aunque no le han dado importancia, Glen Jenvey, experto en antiterrorismo de origen británico, asegura que los comentarios publicados deben ser tomados en ...
WITHDRAWN FOLLOWING OUR EMAIL ALERT CAMPAIGN:
Prominent UK Jews named on website
First Post, UK -8 Jan 2009
Businessman Sir Alan Sugar and record producer Mark Ronson (right) feature on a list of high-profile British Jews who could be targeted after their names ...
UK Celebrity Terror Watch
Heeb Magazine -8 Jan 2009
Reports emerged yesterday alleging Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson have been added to a "terror target" hit list made in reaction to the current conflict in ...
MIRROR OF NME ARTICLE (ABOVE):
Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson 'targeted by Islamic extremists'
Launch Yahoo -8 Jan 2009
Reports have emerged today (January 7) claiming that Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson have been included on a "terror target" hit list made in reaction to the ...
ARTICLE WITHDRAWN (MARKED AS 'EXPIRED'):
UK authorities believe these prominent British Jews are on terror ...
Electric New Paper, Singapore -8 Jan 2009
Anti-terrorism expert Glen Jenvey told The Sun he feared the forum was being used to prepare a backlash against Jews. He said: 'The Ummah website has been ...
Rampant Muslim Jew-Hatred
EuropeNews, Denmark -8 Jan 2009
Mr Jenvey, 43, [British anti-terror expert Glen Jenvey] said: "The Ummah website has been used by extremists. Those listed should treat it very seriously. ...
Winehouse Appears on Terrorist Hit List
Popeater, NY -8 Jan 2009
(Jan. 8) -- Amy Winehouse and British music producer Mark Ronson are among the celebrities including on a "terror target" list made in response to the ...
Terroryści chcą zabić Amy Winehouse!
Pudelek, Poland -8 Jan 2009
Takie listy należy traktować bardzo poważnie – powiedział mediom Glen Jenvey. Fanatycy są gotowi atakować gwiazdy, które uważają za symbol zepsutego ...
Amy Winehouse na lista dos extremistas islâmicos
SRZD, Brazil -8 Jan 2009
O britânico Glen Jenvey, especialista em táticas antiterroristas disse ao jornal que a tal lista deve ser levada a sério. "O website da Ummah está sendo ...
QUIETLY WITHDRAWN WITHOUT A RETRACTION:
Islam-Terroristen wollen Amy ermorden
Berliner Kurier -9. Jan. 2009
London - Gerade planschte sie noch ausgelassen oben ohne in der Karibik und turtelte mit ehemaligen Rugby-Spielern am Strand, da hat sie schon wieder Ärger ...
Amy Winehouse na seznamu terčů islámských teroristů
Blesk.cz, Czech Republic -9 Jan 2009
Očekávejte nenávistnou kampaň a zastrašování tak od dvaceti či třiceti zločinců," uvedl britský expert na terorismus Glen Jenvey pro list The Sun. ...
Amy Winehouse Marked for Death!
Celebuzz, CA -9 Jan 2009
Any person who's been reading the tabloid news over the past year would assume that Amy Winehouse will do herself in before anyone else can get the chance. ...
Amy Winehouse estaria na mira de terroristas
Ego, Brazil -9 Jan 2009
De acordo com o site "Perez Hilton", Glen Jenvey, uma especialista britânica anti-terrorismo, extremistas islâmicos teriam elaborado uma lista de alguns dos ...
Amy Winehouse, pe lista ţintelor unor posibile atacuri teroriste
Mediafax, Romania -9 Jan 2009
Glen Jenvey, un expert britanic în politicile antiteroriste, consideră că această ameninţare trebuie să fie luată în serios. El a declarat pentru cotidianul ...
Amy Winehouse na seznamu terčů islámských teroristů
Blesk.cz, Czech Republic -9 Jan 2009
Očekávejte nenávistnou kampaň a zastrašování tak od dvaceti či třiceti zločinců," uvedl britský expert na terorismus Glen Jenvey pro list The Sun. ...
Amy Winehouse op dodenlijst Islamitische groepering!
Primeurjagers.nl -9 jan 2009
Het wordt uitkijken voor Amy Winehouse. Haar leven wordt nu eens niet bedreigd door drugs door ... extremistsiche islamieten. ...
Todesliste: Winehouse im Visier von Terroristen
oe24.at -9. Jan. 2009
Islamische Extremisten erklären jüdische Prominente wie Amy Winehouse und Mark Ronson zu Zielen von Terroranschlägen. Während Amy Winehouse auf der...
Amy Winehouse on Terrorist Hit List
OK! Magazine, NY -9 Jan 2009
As the conflict in Gaza rages on, Islamic extremists are turning their hate to Western nations and their Jewish citizens, naming several prominent Brits on ...
Winehouse A Terrorist Target
PerezHilton.com, CA -9 Jan 2009
According to a new report, there's a lot of talk that Islamic extremists have drawn up a "hit list" of some of Britain's leading Jews. ...
Terrorists Target Winehouse
Radar Online, NY -9 Jan 2009
According to published reports, singer Amy Winehouse and British music producer Mark Ronson are among the celebrities marked for death on a 'terror target' ...
AMY WINEHOUSE OP DODENLIJST JIHAD Amy Winehouse op dodenlijst Jihad
ShowbizNewz.nl -9 jan 2009
Niemand minder dan Amy Winehouse staat op de Islaamse Jihad dodenlijst. De zangeres is toegevoegd aan een dodenlijst speciaal gericht op joden, ...
WITHDRAWN FOLLOWING OUR EMAIL ALERT CAMPAIGN:
Amy Winehouse en danger de mort ?
SCOOP PEOPLE, France -9 Jan 2009
Et d'après un spécialiste anglais du terrorisme, Glen Jenvey, "les personnes figurant dans cette liste doivent prendre cela très sérieusement"...
Amy Winehouse, cible pour les terroristes ?
Teemix -9 jan 2009
Un site internet, apparemment souvent visité par des islamistes, a eu la "brillante" idée de publier une liste de personnalités d'origine juive qui feraient ...
Amy im Visier von Terroristen
Vienna Online -9. Jan. 2009
Dies berichtete nun NME.com. Auf der Internetseite Ummah.com forderte ein Poster andere User auf, prominente Juden vorzuschlagen, die zum Ziel von ...
Amy Winehouse visée par des terroristes
Voici -9 jan 2009
La chanteuse trash est à mille lieues de se douter de ce qu'il se passe de l'autre côté du globe. En vacances sous le soleil de Sainte-Lucie, dans les bras ...
Is Amy Winehouse Being Targeted By Terrorists?!?
X17 Online, California -9 Jan 2009
Reports in the UK say that Amy Winehouse is a "terror target" for extremists who plan to attack high profile British's Jews. Also named in the threat was ...
Amy vizata de teroristi
Ziua, Romania -9 Jan 2009
Glen Jenvey, un expert britanic in politicile antiteroriste, considera ca aceasta amenintare trebuie sa fie luata in serios. Acesta a declarat pentru ...
Suicide Bombers Target Suicidal Bummer
Jawa Report, TX -10 Jan 2009
It has been frequently noted that Islamists are rather short on sophistication. Indeed, traits like humor, intelligence and irony appear to be completely ...
Troubled singer Amy Winehouse in terror hit list?
Spicezee, India -10 Jan 2009
Los Angeles, Jan 10: The troubled pop singer Amy Winehouse, whose weird antics have always grabbed more eyeballs than her singing talent, is reportedly on ...
Η Amy Winehouse και ο Mark Ronson στόχοι τρομοκρατών!
Avopolis, Greece -11 Jan 2009
... Λωρίδα της Γάζας. Σύμφωνα με τον ειδικό της βρετανικής αντιτρομοκρατικής υπηρεσίας, Glen Jenvey, οι αναφορές αυτές θα πρέπει να ληφθούν σοβαρά υπόψιν. ...
(Psst! You may also have noticed after browsing through that list that the name of terror 'expert' Glen Jenvey also echoed around the world. Would it be wrong to suspect that this is one of the reasons why he tells such awful lies?)
Saturday, 13 December 2008
£50,000 for breaking the law.
A highly curious but also insightful story into how "gotcha!" journalism works on the Sun has emerged:
What the Guardian article doesn't mention is that it seems to have been the Sun itself that turned in its source, having previously paid him £50,000, or far more than the average Sun hack will earn in a year. Having provided the police with the footage secretly shot by Blagrove of Winehouse, apparently smoking a crack pipe, they went on to raid Blagrove's home, where they apparently found additional footage of Peaches Geldof. Rather than keep this evidence for any potential trial, the police, having had their back scratched, seem to have given the video straight back to the Sun, resulting in their article of May the 5th:
Err, yes. Instead they apparently handed the footage over to the Sun for them to do just that, this time without them having to pay Blagrove any money for the privilege. 4 days later, this follow-up appeared:
None of the accounts of the conclusion of the trial mention Geldof's involvement, so whether she actually did give evidence or not is uncertain.
To call this a very grey area in the terms of the law is something of an understatement. The Sun has to all intents and purposes paid someone £50,000 for breaking the law. It's not even as if it can fall back on the defence that it's exposing someone in the public eye taking drugs - it was hardly a secret that Winehouse was and still is a drug addict, having been in and out of treatment all year. Moreover, the Sun of course turned to its best friend: sickening hypocrisy. Having paid £50,000 to a man with 28 previous criminal convictions who ostensibly supplied a celebrity with the drugs which he then filmed her taking, their article contained the following platitudes:
While on the side-panel "experts" including the Sun columnist Jane Moore call for her to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
Strangely, although the Sun's website carried agency accounts of the trial under the "Staff Reporter" byline, there doesn't appear to have been any report of the trial's conclusion in today's paper. Also strange is that all of the agency accounts appear to have a crucial detail pruned from them: the £50,000 paid to Blagrove.
It's not as if this sort of hackery is anything new - the News of the World's Mazher Mahmood was notorious for entrapping celebrities either with them buying drugs or buying them for others. The difference is that he was employed by the NotW; here they instead turned a blind eye to their source and how exactly he obtained the material. Considering that he has now been jailed for two years, doesn't the Sun have a case to answer as well?
"A man who plotted to covertly film a "hit list" of stars, including Amy Winehouse, taking drugs so he could sell the footage to newspapers was jailed for two years yesterday.
Johnny Blagrove, 34, and his girlfriend Cara Burton, 22, sold footage of the singer apparently smoking a crack pipe to The Sun for £50,000, but the video was later passed to police.
In the final scene of the tape, which was viewed by a judge at Snaresbrook crown court, east London, Blagrove laughs to himself after telling his reflection in a bathroom mirror: "You have succeeded. You have done it. You are going places. It's taken a while, but I've finally got what I want.""
What the Guardian article doesn't mention is that it seems to have been the Sun itself that turned in its source, having previously paid him £50,000, or far more than the average Sun hack will earn in a year. Having provided the police with the footage secretly shot by Blagrove of Winehouse, apparently smoking a crack pipe, they went on to raid Blagrove's home, where they apparently found additional footage of Peaches Geldof. Rather than keep this evidence for any potential trial, the police, having had their back scratched, seem to have given the video straight back to the Sun, resulting in their article of May the 5th:
"THIS is the video showing SIR BOB GELDOF’s daughter PEACHES buying drugs from AMY WINEHOUSE’s alleged dealer.
Peaches, 19, is seen offering to hand over up to £190 to the pusher – and then blurts out: “I need to get all that stuff off you tonight. Tomorrow I need Valium.”
Valium is often taken by users coming down from drugs.
TV presenter Peaches is now days away from a police quiz over the video obtained by The Sun.
...
But cops found the clip of her on a computer memory stick also containing scenes of Amy, 24, smoking crack cocaine.
Stills of Amy were published in The Sun four months ago.
Peaches’ dad Sir Bob, 55, said in the past he would “go f*****g ballistic” if she took drugs.
Cops seized the video from the East London home of Jonny Blagrove, 34, and Cara Burton, 22, suspected of running a celebrity drug empire.
Police sources said they believe Blagrove – a pal of Amy’s caged husband BLAKE FIELDER-CIVIL – and his lover wanted to use the Peaches video in a different sting."
Err, yes. Instead they apparently handed the footage over to the Sun for them to do just that, this time without them having to pay Blagrove any money for the privilege. 4 days later, this follow-up appeared:
"DRUG cops want PEACHES GELDOF to help them nail a drug dealer selling cocaine to celebrities.
Peaches, 19, has been quizzed under caution over an allegation of possessing the drug.
Her questioning arose from a video obtained by The Sun featuring her allegedly buying cocaine.
But cops have decided NOT to arrest Peaches — daughter of Live Aid hero Sir Bob Geldof — despite her being seen apparently handing over £190 for cocaine to a dealer.
She will be dealt with as a potential witness instead. Peaches was interviewed at a central London solicitor’s office on Thursday.
A report will now go to the CPS for consideration on charges. But one police source said: “It is hoped that Peaches, in particular, will appear as a witness in the case.
“We believe she was deliberately targeted by a drug supplier.”"
None of the accounts of the conclusion of the trial mention Geldof's involvement, so whether she actually did give evidence or not is uncertain.
To call this a very grey area in the terms of the law is something of an understatement. The Sun has to all intents and purposes paid someone £50,000 for breaking the law. It's not even as if it can fall back on the defence that it's exposing someone in the public eye taking drugs - it was hardly a secret that Winehouse was and still is a drug addict, having been in and out of treatment all year. Moreover, the Sun of course turned to its best friend: sickening hypocrisy. Having paid £50,000 to a man with 28 previous criminal convictions who ostensibly supplied a celebrity with the drugs which he then filmed her taking, their article contained the following platitudes:
It will horrify relatives and friends who fear she could soon end up dead.
While on the side-panel "experts" including the Sun columnist Jane Moore call for her to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
Strangely, although the Sun's website carried agency accounts of the trial under the "Staff Reporter" byline, there doesn't appear to have been any report of the trial's conclusion in today's paper. Also strange is that all of the agency accounts appear to have a crucial detail pruned from them: the £50,000 paid to Blagrove.
It's not as if this sort of hackery is anything new - the News of the World's Mazher Mahmood was notorious for entrapping celebrities either with them buying drugs or buying them for others. The difference is that he was employed by the NotW; here they instead turned a blind eye to their source and how exactly he obtained the material. Considering that he has now been jailed for two years, doesn't the Sun have a case to answer as well?
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