23/6/22: The website of the Daily Star has accepted that jackals are not invading the UK.
The site published an article in December 2021 titled: “Violent jackals set to invade UK as experts warn of ‘fastest expansion ever witnessed'”, which reported that “Scientists have warned that jackals are coming to Britain in huge numbers after rapidly expanding across Europe – and experts say the beasts will howl and hunt all through the night”.
Scientists had not warned that jackals are coming to Britain. One ecologist quoted in the piece said the animals had spread across continental Europe, but he did not mention the UK.
As well as this, the complainant noted the article was illustrated with pictures of foxes, not jackals.
IPSO determined the site should have verified its jackal claims before publishing and that there had been a breach of the Editors’ Code. The Star offered to publish a correction atop the article making clear that “scientists had not specified that jackals would head to Britain, but that there is a possibility due to the ‘fastest expansion ever witnessed'”. Full ruling here.
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