Uncle John

[deerlabsky]

Which news media can deal with these issues responsibly?

I  remember an account, from John Pilger's book 'Hidden Agendas', about
a  story in an early Rupert Murdoch paper.  As fortune would have it the
story is mentioned in an article Pilger wrote for the New Statesmen:

"The  Murdoch "ethos" was demonstrated right from the  beginning of his
career, as Richard Neville has documented. In 1964,  his Sydney tabloid,
the Daily Mirror, published the diary of a  14-year-old schoolgirl under
the headline, "WE HAVE SCHOOLGIRL'S ORGY  DIARY". A 13-year-old boy, who
was identified, was expelled from the  same school. Soon afterwards, he
hanged himself from his mother's  clothesline. The "sex diary" was
subsequently found to be fake."

But in the article there was something that I can't remember being in
the book:

"Soon  after Murdoch bought the News of the World in 1971, a strikingly 
similar episode involving an adolescent diary led to the suicide of a 
15-year-old girl."

I think this may well be referring to the poor girl who took her own
life and who the Daily Mail have written about.

A search for Richard Neville's writings on this produced the following:

"During  an interview years later, I reminded Murdoch of this event and
his  reaction was sharp: "Don't you ever make  mistakes?" Of course I
do. Many. After acquiring the News of the World  in London in 1971,
Rupert discovered another diary, while he was  campaigning against a
popular BBC TV show, Top of the Pops. His paper  accused its stars of
"promiscuity" with young dancers in the audience.  One of these was
Samantha MacAlpine, aged 15, whose "leatherette bound  book", according
Murdoch's news desk, "could well blow wide open the  scandal at the
BBC". The day after this report, Samantha MacAlpine  committed suicide.

The News of the World tried to cover itself  with the headline, THIS
GIRL WAS A VICTIM 
 NOW SHE IS DEAD, but the  coroner stated that
Samantha's diary was "pure fantasy
. unconnected  with reality",
(like much Murdoch journalism). A Scotland Yard officer  accused the
paper of being "ludicrous and irresponsible". As is the  Murdoch style,
the evidence from the inquest was kept from the readers.  Also
suppressed was the statement of the forensic  pathologist, that in his
opinion, Samantha had died a virgin."

Barring the incorrect first name and misspelled surname this is her
isn't it?  And what to make of Neville's claims?


'Lies, damn lies'
http://www.newstatesman.com/international-politics/2009/07/pilger-murdoc\
h-sun-mackenzie
<http://www.newstatesman.com/international-politics/2009/07/pilger-murdo\
ch-sun-mackenzie>

'DIRTY DIGGERS' DEADLY DIARIES'
http://www.richardneville.com/Journal/2004/journal310806.html
<http://www.richardneville.com/Journal/2004/journal310806.html>  --
Scroll down for the story which includes images from the newspapers.

Dan

--- In peel@yahoogroups.com, aadam jacobs <aadamjacobs@...> wrote:
>
> Cynthia Plastercaster is an old friend of mine. Many years ago we got
on the subject of Peel, as I am, of course, a devotee. She told me a
story about meeting him in the '60s, when she was a teenager, and him
wanting to have sex with her. that turned her off to him forever
(rightly so, I imagine). This was before Cynthia was casting rock star's
penis', but even then it may have been creepy. Anyway, I chose to file
that story away and not let it tarnish my appreciation for John. Well, I
guess it's all out now.
>
>
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2213621/Claire-McAlpine-A-15-yea\
r-old-killed-leaving-diary-naming-DJs-abusers-Disturbing-questions-John-\
Peel-So-starts-WERE-involved.html
>
> A bit about Cynthia for those who don't know:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_Plaster_Caster
>