[Kreuzberger]

A thread documenting those who fall victim to the mail and their need to find real-life examples of lead-swingers, shirkers and anyone else deserving their vilification. Whatever the veracity, whatever the consequences.



It started off in the Happy Faces thread. A woman with mental health issues described to her local rag how she was considering legal action against the DWP for refusing to take in to account her disability. She smiled for the camera, as you do, and thought that was the end of it. After all, she doesn't recall consenting to the story being circulated beyond the "Gazette"

The mail seized upon the story yesterday and, not knowing this was was a lift, a few general remarks were made in our thread until the shit-fest of the comment machine started to respond in droves to the dog-whistle. Unemployed, sitting comfortably with her pet, outwardly the picture of health and de facto suing the arse off the taxpayer. As intended and fully in accordance with the mail's leitmotif, she is being pilloried now as a fat, lazy scrounger with a made-up illness. Job done.

She has just tweeted;

Jen Lant ‏
I just wish I knew how I was gonna get through this.

[lord_kobel]

Looks like the original story misht have only appeared in print. Wonder how the mail got hold of it?

[Kreuzberger]

The initial story appears in the Colchester Gazette which is a Newsquest title.

There are several possibilities. One is that a reporter picked it up on a train and saw the chance to enhance their standing in Derry Street. Another is that the mail still gets the regionals delivered to the newsroom every day/week just like in the old days before Twitter. Another is that she signed the release forms without realising that she was granting syndication rights (and it's doubtful that she would have known what they are anyway, non-media types don't.)

It doesn't really matter how they got the story. It's what they did with it.

[lord_kobel]

Well, I was wondering how they got the pic, unless they just scanned it in...

[Kreuzberger]

Well, I was wondering how they got the pic, unless they just scanned it in...

Syndication. It's attributed, bottom left.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Now up on Tim Fenton's Zelo Street blog:

http://zelo-street.blogspot.co.uk/2013/ ... e-mob.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and he gave Mailwatch a hat-tip on Twitter for alerting him to the story. Something we need to do more.

[The Weeping Angel]

We could also write to our MP's about this story as well

[Malcolm Armsteen]

No laws have been broken. That's always the catch, so reports to MPs aren't likely to have much traction.

The Hacked Off Campaign might be a different matter. Does anyone have their email address?

[Kreuzberger]

We could also write to our MP's about this story as well

On what grounds? A person is considering raising an action against a state institution. I would be careful what you wish for if you think that the press should be muzzled from reporting that.

Instead of writing to your MP, spread the word amongst your fiends, family and social media pals. Get them to see both sides of the story. Get them to challenge their preconceived ideas about deserving- and non-deserving poor. Get them to think about whether they are being told the whole story when 107,000 GBP tax cuts are being handed to the wealthiest while seventy-one-mother-fucking-pence are being begrudged to a fit, educated, eager workforce who are desperate to get out there and make a living but can't because the economy is choked at every turn and the self same cunts, who are being given the tax cuts, will not waive a sliver of their corporate profits in favour of either tax revenues or, heaven forfend, fucking investment.

[Big Rob]

Let's catch mentally ill people, who get benefits, with smiles on their faces.... just in that moment....

Oh 'piece of shit' journalism......

[Big Rob]

You must have to hate yourself so much to be in the employ of that newspaper.

Oh I suppose you get cash at the end of the day.

Surely your local kebab shop has openings for people with such self hatred?

[The Red Arrow]

No laws have been broken. That's always the catch, so reports to MPs aren't likely to have much traction.

The Hacked Off Campaign might be a different matter. Does anyone have their email address?

http://hackinginquiry.org/contact/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[smod]

Somebody who is in remission after fighting cervical cancer. I wrote a blog about it.

http://stevenplrose.wordpress.com/2013/ ... mail-drip/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ezinra]

Great job, smod. That story is repugnant.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Good to see you back, Smodders, and with an excellent post and blog.