The PCC’s ruling on Jan Moir

[sparkindarkness]

The PCC has ruled on Jan Moir’s poison and decided – SURPRISE – that it was all fine and dandy.

What, you expected different? Why, the Chairman of the PCC’s Editor’s Code of Practice Committee is Paul Dacre, the editor of the Daily Mail where the article appeared. And, shockingly, he didn’t move to censure his own paper. My, aren’t we surprised? Really, they don’t even try to be legitimate, do they?

Just remember, according to the PCC, a tasteless prank phone call is far far far worse than a prejudiced and hateful screed against a persecuted minority. Or against gays anyway.

Never mind that hate crimes against gays are on the rise. Never mind that our lives and worth are devalued constantly. Never mind that our newly dead are sneered at and libelled before they’re even cold in the grave. It’s not like someone *GASP* made a tasteless phone call.

Of course, depressingly, not only does this judgement grossly ignore some major homophobia in the media (but we expect that, since when does the media – or just about anyone else – give a damn about homophobia?) but it has severely destroyed the weak protections we do have.

I am particularly concerned by this:
“While many complainants considered that there was an underlying tone of negativity towards Mr Gately and the complainant on account of the fact that they were gay, it was not possible to identify any direct uses of pejorative or prejudicial language in the article,”

So, unless someone resorts to outright slurs, it’s not homophobia? She didn’t say “fag” so it’s not homophobic! She just said that gay men don’t die a natural death, she just said that death is a natural result of our “lifestyle” she just said that this ruins the “myth” of our unions. But no, she‘s not homophobic. Because she didn’t use a slur. Because this doesn’t count as “direct use of pejorative or prejudicial language.”

Is this going to be common across the board? Will sexism or racism or anti-semitism no longer be considered to exist in the media if not outright discriminatory or abusive language is used? If someone decides to publish an article contain lots of lies claiming Jews control the world, would the PCC decide it isn’t anti-Semitic because it doesn’t contain slurs or abusive language?

This isn’t only dangerous, it’s blitheringly stupid. Stonewall has said that they would find it “very difficult to recommend” that anyone from a minority community complain to the Press Complaints Commission. I can’t agree more. The PCC has shown itself incapable of handling the issue, grossly ignorant, corrupt and all too willing to pander to prejudice

Their ruling here is far more damaging and far far worse than anything Jan Moir wrote.

Really, after dismissing homophobia so completely,  the comment “The PCC said Moir’s claim that Gately’s death had not been “natural”, while controversial and speculative, “could not be established as accurate or otherwise.” becomes merely comic – because the coroner did just that. Because, y’know, that’s what coroners DO!

If one good thing can come out of this, hopefully the shit storm will rage and finally get some movement on scrapping the PCC and the whole concept of “self-regulation” (a contradiction in terms if ever there was one) and establishing a more appropriate body. I would join the calls from Sir Ken Macdonald for all media with a pretence of legitimacy to withdraw from the ridiculous PCC.

I’d also encourage everyone to go have another word with their MPs to let them know how unimpressed we are with the PCC and suggest an alternative be found.