Paul Dacre: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:47, 26 May 2007

Revision as of 22:56, 26 May 2007

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==Editorship of the ''Mail''==

Dacre's most prominent newspaper campaign was in 1997, against the suspects who were acquitted of the murder of the black teenager [[Stephen Lawrence]]. RealisingAfter realising in 1993 at the time of the murder <ref>Brian Cathcart ''The Case of Stephen Lawrence'', 1999[2000], Penguin p138.</ref> that [[Neville Lawrence]], the victim's father, had earlier worked on Dacre's own house as a painter and decorator, the ''Daily Mail'' eventually ran on the following day the acquittal with athe headline "MurderersMURDERERS", and invitied the five men to sue if the headline was incorrect. No writ was issued, and the newspaper received significant acclaim and opprobrium as a result.<ref name="British Journalism Review" />

Dacre has maintained his newspaper's defence of family values and the 'small-c' conservayive interests of the suburban middle-classes in the south of England. Seen as "highly influential politically" by the conservative journalist [[Simon Heffer]], Dacre has claimed that the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] could not be guaranteed the ''Mail's'' support at the next election, due in 2009-10, and queried whether the party was atill conservative.<ref>Simon Heffer [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml;jsessionid=AMTJIZJMH5FKLQFIQMGCFFWAVCBQUIV0?xml=/opinion/2007/01/24/do2401.xml "Cameron mocks the 'loonies and fruitcakes' of UKIP at his peril",] ''Daily Telegraph'', 24 January 2007. Retrieved on 26 May 2007.</ref> Indeed, Dacre's ''Mail'' briefly had positive views of New Labour until the [[Bernie Ecclestone#Labour Party scandal|Ecclestone scandal]] and clashes with [[Alastair Campbell]] cooled the relationship. The newspaper also turned against [[Cherie Blair]], the Prime Minister's wife, when their lawyers prevented the publication of a former nanny's memoirs;<ref>Anthony Sampson ''Who Run's This Place: The Anatomy of Britain in the 21st Century'', 2004[2005], John Murray, p237.</ref> official regulations prevent press revelations regarding the children of public figures. The Prime-Minister-in-waiting [[Gordon Brown]] is reportedly a personal friend of Dacre however.