UK Tabloid Known For Publishing Naked Photos Complains About The Harm Of Porn Online
from the that's-what-we-call-hypocrisy dept
Folks who have been online for a while probably recall the infamous Rimm Report from back in 1995, which was the first mainstream attempt to claim that evil "cyberporn" (yes, that's the word they used) was taking over the internet and threatening children everywhere. Of course, that report was based on ridiculously faulty research, but many have sustained this moral panic that online porn simply must be evil. Enter UK tabloid The Daily Mail, who apparently has decided that this is an issue that needs attention, in the form of some moral panic reporting based on a couple of loosely sourced anecdotes. The story appears to be written by the mother of a kid who's going through the initial stages of teenagerdom/puberty, and his mother can't handle it, so she blames the kid's changes on access to porn online.Martin Robbins, over at the Guardian does a pitch perfect satire in response, mocking The Daily Mail's article. Here's just a snippet:
Of course, even more amusing is that Robbins goes on to point out that The Daily Mail's moral panic against porn might take on slightly more credibility if the publication wasn't well known for publishing nude photos itself (the links in the next paragraph may be slightly NSFW depending on your work environment):As an infant, I was exposed to breasts almost every single day. Thirty years later, breasts have taken over my life. Not a day goes by without some stray breast seeping into my consciousness. Occasionally I catch myself glancing at the breasts of my female friends, and I habitually pour milk all over my cornflakes. Worse, breasts have served as a gateway drug for vaginas.
I used to think I was alone, but extensive new research in the form of almost three anecdotes published by the Daily Mail - a seedy gossip website specializing in celebrity erotica, catering to men too old to buy Nuts and too married to run up hard-to-explain credit card charges on proper porn - has revealed the devastating impact that breasts have been having on other young children.
Each tragic case of boob trauma follows the same remarkable pattern. An ordinary little boy approaching his teenage years suddenly starts to change his behaviour: becoming withdrawn and moody and mysteriously growing about six inches in height. Detailed investigation of the child's browser history reveals that the cause is not the rough patch the parents have been going through, a recent change of schools, or puberty; but an addiction to online porn.
The Daily Mail makes money from posting pictures of scantily-clad women on the internet. Sometimes these women are topless. Sometimes they are completely naked. Often the images are captioned with breathy descriptions of 'cleavage', 'dangerous curves', 'thigh-skimming' dresses. Sometimes the images are of disturbingly young girls, accompanied with phrases like the infamous "all grown up."It's only worth a moral panic if it's not about the publication in question making money, it seems. I recognize that the UK tabloid culture involves moral panic articles like the Daily Mail's all too often, but you have to wonder how anyone takes such things seriously when those same publications are publishing naked photos online itself.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: porn, rimm report, tabloids, the daily mail, uk
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass_Eye#Paedophilia_special_.282001.29
Why, yes it is!
Rule of thumb as ever: if it's in the Daily Fail, it's either a half-assed attempt at riling up the middle classes, or an outright lie.
Sadly, these attempts occasionally bear fruit (their ridiculous video nasties campaign, for example), so it's worth being vigilant even if the hypocrisy is particularly obvious - their readership does have low comprehension and critical thinking skills.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
The Mail is generally bad - but not always - even the Mail took up the cudgels for Richard O'Dwyer.
There was a big headline on the physical paper too!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
I would say that more than soft porn, the Daily Mail is known for it's hatred of immigrants - so handing it to potential immigrants is pretty funny :)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
You must define units so that they can become a standard.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I was given a copy for free last week when I bought a drink in the newsagent and I didnt know whether to feel grateful or insulted.
In the end it was an entirely depressing experience skim reading it on the bus.
I can't imagine what goes on in the minds of people who read it regularly / write it
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
Trouble is that it was also recently claimed to be the online paper with the highest readership in the world.
I know people who read it in a "know your enemy" kind of way but there are still many who read it and believe it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
http://www.theonion.com/
If you're going to have a delusional family member, might as well have some fun with them.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
I also love how every other paper can be covering a serious story of national or international significance, but they care more about how 'women on Royal Navy ships distract the men with their wicked wiles'.
About the only good thing that can be said about them is that they *aren't* a Murdoch rag.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Boobs - your mother has them!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
Rule 34 wins again.
This is the same rule that brought us Amputee Toilet Seat Handjob porn(Really, do not search for that. It was on a Rule 34 Demotivational Poster). Do you really think there are limits?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Next up dieting tips and is your house losing value.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The Headline
or
Daily Mail: "Competition Is Bad. Make It Stop"
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Scroll down to the Daily Mail section.
Suffice to say, I read it just to laugh at it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
"The Mail is very similar to The Sun when at its worst, but likes to pretend it's more upmarket."
That sounds about right, TBH...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRgNOyCnbqg
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Trevor White, comedian.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
What I Believe
2. If someone wants to watch Porn, it is none of my or the governments business.
3. Nude or Naked is in no way the equivalent of Porn. (i.e. The Picture of Madonna linked & Venus di Milo classy. "Debbie gets creamed" not so much).
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
When you start with such a serious lack of understanding, you pretty much are doomed to fail. Sounds like a Tea Party talking points problem.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
There is a huge gap between FHM sexy and Vivid hardcore. Only a conservative with his panties in a knot would be in too much of a hurry to know the difference.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
Any difference between titillation and porn is;
a/ In the eye of the beholder
b/ Irrelevant to any harm that "porn" may or may not do to a teenager and
c/ In no way removes the irony or indeed inevitability of it being the Daily Mail printing such a thing.
I do, however, find it unsuprising that you'd come out with such a rant since you are almost Techdirts own resident Daily Mail.
Oh, and if you show such a serious lack of understanding of teenagers in the relevance of "titillation vs. porn" in such an argument then either
a/ You are way too long away from being a teenager or
b/ On behalf of any putative offspring please don't become a parent.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
The sound of the whole thing going right past you at high speed, and you not getting any of it.
I guess in your world, Fox News is porn too, right?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I feel obligated to post this....
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Classic Daily Mail
Oooo how appropriate - just clicked the link to test it and got; "COULD TEENAGE SEX RUIN THE MEMORY OF DIANA?"
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Classic Daily Mail
Pretty accurate, perhaps the ultimate Mail headline if it has somehow snuck immigrants in there...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Classic Daily Mail
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
True to Form
Actually The Mail is acting true to form here. It's always been the right wing, conservative tabloid. The tabloid for the stuffy, old fashioned reader.
It is hypocritical, and also one of the worst newspapers in the UK, but I'm not at all surprised to see them mount an attack against porn. It's totally in keeping with the paper's long history.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: True to Form
It's hard to take a moral stand when your own site clearly depends on broadcasting salacious images, even if they manage to keep some clothes on much of the time...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]