A Red Top Caught Red Handed?

I'd like to begin by saying that if I ever buy a copy of the Sun newspaper, it will only be for it's ultra-absorbent qualities and in fact I would go so far as to say that those are probably it's only qualities. I think like any other right minded person in Britain, my reaction to being greeted with a headline about our entire island catching fire and sinking would be to assume that somewhere on the south coast a journalist had his beach barbeque washed out by the tide.

So when the Sun published a list containing a number of prominent Jewish figures, tabloid darling Amy Winehouse among them, it's reasonable to suspect that in piecing the story together, the Sun might have exaggerated or at best failed to check their facts. Even the most Jaded of Times readers, however, could be forgiven for popping a monocle over what appears to be a very serious accusation which have arisen following the Sun's publication (and, it would seem, silent withdrawal) of that particular gem of an article.

From what I can gather, the administrators of the forum, which is not, as far as I can tell, intended as a platform for propagating terrorism, have alleged that the post which the article makes reference to, calling for the publication of a list of "top Jews" to to target in protest, was in fact posted by a freelance journalist, who then followed this up with his own list after his request was ignored. The blog I have linked to further alleges that the rather tragic figure behind this charade is a man named Glen Jenvey, an anti-terror warrior perhaps not quite possessed of all the qualities you would expect of someone with a background in international counter-terrorist espionage. And by that, I mean that he apparently edits his own Wikipedia entry. Winner.

If these allegations are true, then it really is a sad state of affairs that we find ourselves in. That a mainstream publication with such high circulation as the Sun might be able publish such an alarmist and fear-mongering accusation is a sad incitement of the sloppy standards to which we hold our press.