MailOnline ads pulled from columnist Jan Moir's article amid gay backlash

by Daniel Farey-Jones, Brand Republic 16-Oct-09, 16:15

LONDON - The Daily Mail online has pulled advertising running alongside a comment piece by Jan Moir, which has caused a furore over its statements relating to Boyzone singer Stephen Gately's death.

There are no problems with ads on other pages on Dailymail.co.uk, but the banner, skyscaper and rich media placements on the article by Jan Moir are now blank.

James Bromley, MailOnline MD, said the decision to remove the ads was taken by Mail Online "within minutes" following the reaction to the article.

"This is done frequently and by other newspapers. For example, we wouldn't want a mobile phone ad next to an article about mobile phone masts."

The piece by Jan Moir, a columnist for the Mail, has prompted a storm of comments both on the piece on the Mail's website and in the wider online sphere.

One particular line in the piece, which describes Gately's death as "sleazy", has angered many readers and the wider public. Moir wrote: "Another real sadness about Gately's death is that it strikes another blow to the happy-ever-after myth of civil partnerships."

A Facebook group has been set up calling on people to pressure the Mail to remove the article by contacting advertisers that have appeared next to it and by complaining to the Press Complaints Commission.

Marks & Spencer, BT and Procter & Gamble are among the nine advertisers listed on the group's page, with phone numbers and other contact details.

The group is called 'The Daily Mail should retract Jan Moir's hateful, homophobic article'.

Twitter is also humming with comments about the incident, pushing 'Jan Moir' to the top of the trending topics.

Jan Moir has since issued a statement in defence of her piece, in which she claimed it was "mischievious in the extreme to suggest that my article has homophobic and bigoted undertones" and described the internet campaign as "heavily orchestrated".

She said: "When I wrote that ‘he would want to set an example to any impressionable young men who may want to emulate what they might see as his glamorous routine', I was referring to the drugs and the casual invitation extended to a stranger. Not to the fact of his homosexuality.

"In writing that ‘it strikes another blow to the happy-ever-after myth of civil partnerships' I was suggesting that civil partnerships - the introduction of which I am on the record in supporting - have proved just to be as problematic as marriages."

Moir said it was never her intention to upset people with her comments, and that the point of the piece, "which, I wonder how many of the people complaining have fully read", was that "his death raises many unanswered questions".

Comments

Jeremy Lee - 16/10/2009

Ridiculous

BlurryEyed - 16/10/2009

Having read the article, time may be better spent on editorial than studying juxtapositioning of banner ads. Her defense is weak given the tone of the article - although I was quite suprised to see the comments box filled with criticism, given the usual readerships agenda to support the journalists framing.

Michael Hewitt - 16/10/2009

"which, I wonder how many of the people complaining have fully read". Equally, I wonder how many people only complained about "Sachsgate" until the Mail told them to?

Rachel North - 16/10/2009

It is not just 'the gay community' that are angry; the FB page was set up this morning by a couple of non-gay people after a thread on a London messageboard called urban75. The campaign isn't 'heavily orchestrated' either; you can't 'orchestrate a campaign like that in a day. It's generated an equally outraged response everywhere - and that's the power of social media. The mail's own readers were furious, the Guardian commenters were furious, Twitter-ers were furious, gay groups were furious - a cursory glance at the profile of the FB group joineers, or the bloggers, or the Twitterers would show that they are all sorts of demongraphics, united in outrage because of the bogoted tone, speaking ill of the dead, and casual cruelty of the Moir piece. Wake up and smell the internet.

Danny Hopwood - 16/10/2009

I love seeing a pompous journalist get tango'ed.

Clarence Bass - 16/10/2009

MInd you, I think Social Media's a bit gay too.

Stephen P - 16/10/2009

I must admit that the backlash has demonstrated one thing...that Daily Mail readers get awfully excited very quickly...

Sally Larkin - 17/10/2009

It's not true the ads were 'pulled in minutes' there were advertorials on the page until well after 2pm

Helen Wilkinson - 17/10/2009

Yesterday morning Brighton's Nikki Bayley \(@nikkib on Twitter) made one of the first complaints in the country about the Daily Mail's vile columnist Jan Moir and here cowardly homophobic attack on Stephen Gately. Here's the Press Complaints Commission's response http://tiny.cc/aPipa

Rosie Heptonstall - 17/10/2009

I have to say I only read this article after all the furore broke out. I am not a Daily Mail reader. Surely the real issue here is that publications like the Daily Mail are consistently bigoted and hateful in tone - despite which they continue to have an alarmingingly high readership. Why not just boycott the Daily Mail and all its awful cronies: The Sun et al. while we're at it. Thanks.

Media Village - 18/10/2009

STORM.IN.A.TEA.CUP. never underestimate the ability of others to get really offended on behalf of other people whether they are offended or not. you are all behaving like facists. so what if some daily mail writer wrote something you don't like. it's not persecution. it's an opinion. last time i looked i lived in a friggin' democracy and something called freedom of speech existed. grow up dimwits!

Dasbeasten - 19/10/2009

What do people expect from the Daily Mail? Can't see why it is such a surprise that a DM columnist would write such an article.

Nicola Lucas - 19/10/2009

"In writing that 'it strikes another blow to the happy-ever-after myth of civil partnerships' I was suggesting that civil partnerships - the introduction of which I am on the record in supporting - have proved just to be as problematic as marriages." - From a grand sample of 2...