Hopefully nobody noticed that until this morning I had a new post about the media’s coverage of Alfie Patten on this site. I really should have been aware that the reporting of new details of this case is forbidden thanks to a court ruling, something that was helpfully pointed out through the comments section.
In my defence, the Daily Mirror didn’t seem to be aware either until some point yesterday afternoon, when it removed its own coverage of the story from its website. Given that no other British media outlet is reporting anything about Alfie today, I figured I’d best take my post down as well. Nonetheless, you can still read all about the latest developments thanks to the power of little-known search engine Google, which, I’m reliably informed, is available on literally dozens of computers in the UK.
It’s a bit of a shame really, as I was keen to launch into a spectacular rant against the Sun for its lack of basic fact-checking. I also wanted to have a go at nauseating columnists like Amanda Platell for stuff like this, which was published in the Daily Mail on February 13:
Looking at the pictures of 13-year-old Alfie Patten, cradling the head of his new-born daughter, it’s hard to know who to feel more pity for - the baby, or the father who is still a child himself.
I know there are those who will pour scorn on Alfie’s head. Doubtless, he’s not the sharpest pencil in the box. But the blame for this whole sorry episode lies elsewhere - and I don’t mean with his 15-year-old ‘girlfriend’, Chantelle.
For their predicament is testament to the moral collapse that is the true legacy of a liberal establishment that has imposed its own values - or rather, lack of them - on the British people for the past four decades.
Yes, she did just call a 13-year-old child stupid. Oh well.
It’s perhaps worth observing that the court ruling has actually helped the Sun, which is now saved the bother of having to explain to its readers why it is incapable of establishing the truth before splashing with a story.
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As of last night, there were two mainstream UK-based publishers giving the results of the story.
One still is: http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/brand-republic-walt-disney-alfie-patten-court-order/
I have no idea if my screenshots of this breach the court order, as it’s impossible to find the details of it anwyhere. Shouldn’ they publish this sort of thing online so you can check it?
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