Tag Archives: daily mail

Once again, the mainstream media is banging on about how Gaming Is A Threat To The Youth Of Today, complete with fabricated quotes and comparisons to zombism.

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If there’s one thing gaming’s detractors have learned, it’s that gamers raise their pitchforks at even the slightest sign of dissatisfaction with their hobby. Anne Diamond’s trial by fire was no different.

“All I did was take a Mum’s eye view of the sort of video games my sons play with their friends – for the Daily Mail – and suddenly I’m Public Enemy Number One,” she told Play.

However, Diamond refused to turn tail and flee.

“I do believe that consumers should speak out about products like TV or video games – and not just blindly buy what some genius computer geek inside Nintendo or Sony thinks acceptable or allowable. These people aren’t interested in improving our quality of life, nor upping our intellects – they’re just in it to make money, holed up as they are inside their dimly-lit, million-dollar dens and hardly ever going out into the real world they influence so hugely. Which is why, amidst all of the blood, guts and explosions, someone has to yell: ‘Stop! Do we really want this endless gore?’”

Now, while her opinions are more than a little uninformed, it should be noted that she went on to discuss the hopping good time her family had with Resident Evil 4. Additionally, she spoke of parents’ responsibility when their progeny wish to take up the controller. So before you squeeze your way into the anti-Diamond mob, note that Diamond is no Jack Thompson.

Hit the link for her full riposte.

By Nathan Grayson

The story we ran about a boy who hanged himself after his father confiscated his new Wii game wasn’t exactly as clear cut as the dirge of British journalism, The Daily Mail, would have us believe.

We should have known better, to be honest. What really happened was omitted from the The Daily Mail piece. It was almost as if the paper was trying to get the nation up in arms and gnashing its teeth over how videogames are ruining our children and how the whole thing actually boils down to lack of immigration control or something equally as tawdry, sensationalist and downright lazy.

This quote from the Telegraph says it all:

“But a coroner said that Jake had killed himself by accident and there was no evidence he has been influenced by the programme.”

Unbelievable.

By Mike Bowden

British newspaper the Daily Telegraph has seemingly removed a story from its website claiming extremist monitoring agency SITE was left “red-faced” after it circulated a piece of Fallout 3 art as al-Qaeda propaganda.

The original story URL now brings up a 404 error.

Videogaming247.com has been told by Telegraph editorial staff this morning that “lots of legal wrangling” took place overnight after SITE issued a statement claiming the story was “entirely false.”

The staffer we spoke to, however, refused to confirm the story had been removed from the Telegraph’s site, saying, “I haven’t seen it this morning, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still live somewhere. I’ll have to confirm that for you.”

No such confirmation has been received at the time of writing.

In its entirety, SITE’s statement reads:

On May 30, 2008, the Telegraph newspaper ran a misleading story, “SITE red-faced as Islamist ‘Washington ruin’ image turns out to be from Fallout 3 game,” which incorrectly and falsely described analysis provided by the SITE Intelligence Group.

Discussing a computer-generated image of a destroyed Capitol Building in Washington that was posted to a jihadist forum, the Telegraph claimed, without any basis, “The SITE Intelligence Group said that the image, showing a ruined Capitol Building in Washington, was created by extremists as part of discussions about the feasibility of nuclear strikes against the US and Britain.”

This claim is entirely false, as is the characterization that SITE is “embarrassed” or “red-faced.”

SITE rejects the claims by the Telegraph and stands fully behind the accuracy of its information and analysis. SITE at no time maintained that the image “was created by extremists.”

SITE reported to its subscribers that extremists posted the image to a password-protected forum affiliated with al-Qaeda. This is entirely accurate. Moreover, this information was part of a report describing the general atmosphere in this forum with regard to extremists’ discussions on weapons of mass destruction, making its context all the more important. This report in its entirety is also completely accurate.

The Telegraph is not a subscriber to SITE’s services. Apparently, the newspaper made these erroneous claims without actually reading SITE’s original report, and the basis of their information for their incorrect article is unknown to us.

The SITE Intelligence Group, a leading provider of intelligence and analysis to governments, organizations, and institutions across the world, has contacted the Telegraph to correct their factually inaccurate and misleading article.

The SITE information was picked up by both the British Daily Mail and the Australian News.com.au yesterday, the Mail claiming the image depicted “Al-Qaeda’s terrifying vision of a devastated America in the wake of a nuclear attack”.

Thanks to Kotaku for the SITE statement.

For those of you that don’t live in the UK, the Daily Mail is a revolting right-wing newspaper that shames Britain with its existence.

But today it’s done itself proud. It’s posted a piece of Fallout 3 concept art on its website and claimed the image of a ruined Washington DC has been put together by al-Qaeda.

The picture was posted on an extremist website, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, and has also been picked up by Australian outlet News.com.au.

Please read that Mail piece.

“Washington is laid to waste,” said Barry Wigmore, writing for the paper. “The Capitol is a blackened, smoking ruin. The White House has been razed. Countless thousands are dead.

“This is the apocalyptic scene terrorists hope to create if they ever get their hands on a nuclear bomb.”

“The computer-generated image below was posted on an Islamic extremists’ website yesterday.”

Beyond. Belief. Barry: you stain us all.

British “newspaper” the Daily Mail – famed for the now-removed Anne Diamond anti-games review piece – has awarded GTA IV a five-out-of-five score.

“Whether you believe that this represents a new low in sick and corrupting entertainment or is simply the finest game ever seen, you will find plenty here to support your case,” said reviewer James O’Brien.

“Critics had feared that Grand Theft Auto IV would be a sickening glorification of gangland savagery. Yet if anything, that turns out to be an understatement.

“Prostitution, drug-dealing, criminality and breath-taking levels of casual violence do not so much punctuate the action as constitute almost every second of it.

“The knifing of one GTA enthusiast, queueing up to buy his copy this week, has only reinforced the belief that such games are a deeply malign influence on society.

“There’s no denying, however, that this latest version of the Grand Theft franchise is a phenomenal technological and creative achievement that is set to generate more money for its British designers than any Hollywood release in years.”

Full thing through the link.