The Baillie Bugle

Has anyone else noticed a trend for grossly misleading headlines in the gutter press this week?

For example - the UK's leading tabloid rag suggested that Mustaf Jamma, who has been convicted of murdering a policewoman, has fled the country disguised as a Muslim woman in a veil. The evidence is somewhat flimsy, but this is being stated as fact in the paper and all of its sister periodicals. Yesterday they saw fit to publish a half-page photo of a lady in a veil along with the 35pt headline 'Is this a Muslim woman or a knife wielding murderer?'

Then there is the rash of reports that the British government has relented in its pursuit of a database for DNA and ID cards. 'No ID Card Supercomputer' our favourite tabloid told us yesterday. This is a bit misleading. The information will still be stored, but on three separate systems. Which will be linked. So don't breath that sigh of relief just yet.

These are not the only examples, just the first two that come to mind.

Is the fact that everyone is too busy trying to find Wiis and Bond girl necklaces giving these people an opportunity to blatantly misreport? Or is simply a good week to publish bad journalism?