40,000 Signatories Call For Editor Of Daily Mail To Resign

In a move that will delight many, a petition has been started calling for the sacking of Paul Dacre, the editor of the Daily Mail, over his coverage of migration during the EU Referendum debate.

So far more than 40,000 people have signed.

“Nigel Farage of newspapers”

The petition calls Mr Dacre the “Nigel Farage of newspapers” and it appeals directly at Lord Rothermere, the papers owner. The petition states Mr Dacre, “has spun a steady stream of misinformation and fear, adding to a climate where rage and xenophobia flourish”. It also claims Mr Dacre has “damaged the journalistic integrity of the Daily Mail by allowing front page stories to run based on untruths”.

Apology for misleading article

Last Friday, the Daily Mail published a 54-word correction at the bottom of page two after it had run a story with the headline: “As politicians squabble over border controls, yet another lorry load of migrants arriving in the UK declaring ... We’re from Europe – let us in!”

The men were in fact from Iraq and Kuwait.

The Sun newspaper also ran a similar article. Soon after publication, comments began to circulate on social media that in a video, captured by electrician Tom Andrews and published by a news agency, the refugees could clearly be heard saying that they were from Iraq and Kuwait when questioned by police.

Criticism from the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants

On Friday, the independent charity, the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants stated;

“It is absolutely vital that the media report accurately, without scare-mongering or demonising certain groups.

“Inaccurate stories like this lead to a toxic public debate which very much affects how we treat refugees and migrants who are often in fear for their lives and futures. We are pleased this has been corrected, but we cannot continue to set our nation’s policy in a context of half-truths and headline grabbing distortions of reality.’

However, Mail Online chief Martin Clarke said the Daily Mail does not stoke fears over migration but merely reports existing concerns. Regarding the story about migrants in the van, he defended the story saying that it still involved people “in the back of a van illegally”.

Neither Mr Dacre or the Daily Mail have commented on the petition as yet.

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