Media Lies: More False Claims from The Telegraph
The BNP’s Media Rebuttal Unit has this morning lodged a formal complaint with the Press Complaints Commission over an outrageously false claim by The Telegraph that Nick Griffin paid a visit to the tomb of General Franco on his recent visit to Spain.
“The Media Rebuttal Unit has resolved never to allow any media lies, no matter how small, to slip through our net unchallenged,” Cllr Golding said.
“We are taking this stand for two reasons. Firstly, newspapers should never mislead the public and if we can contribute, however modestly, to a media that tells the truth, that is a good thing.
“Secondly, no political party should have its reputation damaged by media lies in a democratic society,” he said.
The complaint against The Telegraph reads as follows:
“The Press Complaints Commission Code of Practice clause 1 reads as follows: “Accuracy. i) The Press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information, including pictures.”
In an article headlined “Violence as Nick Griffin attends rally in Spain,” The Telegraph made the following false, inaccurate and misleading statement:
“A spokesman for the BNP confirmed that Mr Griffin had attended a political rally in Madrid. ‘He may also have made a private visit to Franco’s tomb on his trip to Spain,’ a spokesman said.”
This is a lie. BNP Leader Nick Griffin did not make a visit to General Franco’s tomb and no BNP spokesman made this claim. This is pure fantasy on the part of The Telegraph.
We demand that The Telegraph retract this story and print a correction in the same prominent fashion in which they have printed the article in question.
