Now we know who won ‘Newspaper of the Year’ we can stop kidding ourselves we have a free press [OPINION]

On Tuesday 14 March, the mainstream media provided compelling evidence that it is past its use-by date and starting to smell funny. Because The Daily Mail just won ‘Newspaper of the Year’.

This is not ‘fake news’

The right-wing rag picked up the gong at the annual Press Awards. Organised by the Society of Editors, the judges said The Mail:

had its finger on the pulse of the national conversation. Not only did it shape both the agenda and the narrative it reflected the temper of a large part of the country in a year of political upheaval. It was a must-read across the political and public spectrum and its strong and provocative voice never wavered.

If by “must-read” the judges meant front pages promoting xenophobia and hatred, then The Daily Mail was certainly top of its class:

The judges also said that:

From crusading reports on press freedom to Brexit, the Sepsis scandal, the madness of drivers using mobile phones, wasteful foreign aid spending, betrayal of Afghan interpreters, the harm caused by ‘plastic poison’ and the battle to end the witch-hunt against British troops, the conviction of the paper’s commentary and campaigning in 2016 was matched only by its energy. It is also never afraid to have a strong opinion.

The language judges used to decide The Daily Mail was ‘Newspaper of the Year’ suggests they agree with its divisive, fear-mongering and hard-right opinions as well.

Rancid

The Daily Mail‘s notorious Editor Paul Dacre said:

Paul Dacre on the Daily Mail winning Newspaper of the Year at last night's @socofeduk National Press Awards for 2016 @SilverstreamTV pic.twitter.com/fWfRiu9FJS

— The Press Awards (@PressAwardsuk) March 15, 2017

“We are a wonderful package of great human journalism.” Tell that to immigrants after wretched Katie Hopkins said they were “invading” Europe. Or Ed Miliband, whose Jewish father the paper called “The man who hated Britain”. Unsurprising really, when The Daily Mail backed Nazi fascists in the 1930s. And it’s saying something when Wikipedia bans “unreliable” source of bullsh*t The Daily Mail.

The mainstream media stinks

The rotting corpse of the mainstream media is starting to smell putrid. When peers call one of the vilest examples of the modern press “agenda-setting” and a producer of “stand-out coverage”, something is seriously wrong. The Society of Editors should be ashamed of itself, because there’s nothing commendable about a gutter-dwelling waste of a tree that intentionally stokes up fear and hatred in the public.

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Featured image and additional image via The Canary