Monday 27 April 2009

Sillier and sillier...

If there's a stupid story around, trust the Daily Mail to pick it up (after a mere month) and make it worse. So when the New York Times suggested visiting Deptford, 'London's Wild West', the Mail took exception because that didn't make it sound bad enough. Indeed, the paper has taken time out from its main project of classifying all inanimate objects as causing or curing cancer to insult the area as 'crime-plagued', 'run-down' and 'packed with boarded-up shops'.

The accompanying photo shows the High Street in the brief period between the market closing and the road being cleaned; but the Mail forgets to tell readers that that's why the pavement is covered in empty boxes. Of course, they probably don't know: they grabbed it from flickr and don't even bother to credit the photographer Celie.

Deptford Dame finds an upside, though...

Update
... and a rewrite! (It's toned down now, but still rubbish - and the photos are still uncredited).

Update 2
The Telegraph has picked this up too: same quotations but different - and credited - photo, taken from the station platform this time.

Image: Deptford High Street by Celie.

2 comments:

Chris Partridge said...

That mural is brilliant! Wasn't there last time I was in Deptford but that was a few years now. I think I am getting Deptford withdrawal symptoms.

CarolineLD said...

Isn't it great! And usually without the leftover boxes in front, honest...