View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
October 18, 2006updated 22 Nov 2022 9:29pm

NUJ’s Dear condemns Daily Star’s Muslim “moment of madness”

By Press Gazette

The Daily Star pulled a spoof “Daily Fatwa” page just before the presses started rolling last in the midst of a revolt from the paper’s NUJ chapel.

Today NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear condemned the page as a "moment of madness".

He said: "This was an outrageous and highly irresponsible idea that fortunately our chapel courageously resisted."

New deputy editor Ben Knowles – who joined the paper from men’s magazine Zoo in September – was in charge at the time.

Planned features on the page headed “How your favourite paper would look under Muslim law” included a “Page 3 burqa babes special” and a blank editorial stamped “censored”.

It is understood that the page had been signed off by senior executives when around 12 members of the Daily Star chapel held an emergency NUJ chapel meeting at 8.30pm.

They passed a motion stating: “This National Union of Journalists chapel expresses its deep concern at the content of page 6 in tomorrow's Daily Star which we consider to be deliberately offensive to Muslims.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

"The chapel fears that this editorial content poses a very serious risk of violent and dangerous reprisals from religious fanatics who may take offence at these articles. This may place the staff in great jeopardy. This chapel urges the management to remove the content immediately."

According to a source at the paper editors have not ruled out running the story tomorrow.

It is not the first time NUJ members at Express Newspapers have made protests about editorial direction.
They have previously written to the Press Complaints Commission to complaint about claimed pressure to write anti-gipsy articles.

Topics in this article :

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network