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[Shotgun Kiss]

The Daily Star is pretty much the worst tabloid here in the UK. I wouldn't even advise using it as birdcage-liner, as you'd still be giving them your money.

I'm really curious if Rockstar have the legal right to retaliate. It's bullshit when the media blames videogames for violence, but at least that's subjective. Stating that Rockstar are actually working on this game is objective, and defamation.


But the absolute worst thing about this, is that they're falsely accusing others of capitalizing on a tragedy, for no other reason than to do just that themselves. Fucking hipocrites.

 

[Hot Coldman]

They're off the fuckin' chain!

 

[gerg]

Though the article is gone from the website, the headline is still on the front page in their "Most read" section. Rockstar, can you please destroy them?

How?

You'd probably have to sue the Daily Express on the basis of slander (or libel - I can't remember the difference), but then you'd have to prove that the false claims made by the Daily Express negatively affected Rockstar's image (and subsequently their business). I'm not sure that that would be particularly easy to prove.

 

[SovanJedi]

And some people ask me why I never bother to read newspapers.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

Wow, they have a babes section and it doesn't even ask you if you're 18 and up. Guess I should let UK take over the world!

 

[ILikeFeet]

R* should include something like The Daily Moon in their next game

 

[BobTheFork]

LOL "10p cheaper then the Sun, Ten Times more fun!" Holy shit that's awesome. Do people largely dismiss these papers as shit like the Sun or Enquirer in the states?

 

[Wiseblade]

The daily star is pure trash. along with the other tabloids, they've done nothing but run Moat headlines all week. And yet they want to talk about taking advantage of a tradegy...

Wow, they have a babes section and it doesn't even ask you if you're 18 and up. Guess I should let UK take over the world!

Man, page 3 would blow your mind.

 

[Ploid 3.0]

R* should include something like The Daily Moon in their next game

They shouldn't even give this newspaper the satisfaction of being parodied in their game. It would only encourage them more.

 

[Jeff Albertson]

Can you play as Gazza and take people chicken and beer?

 

[Cosmonaut X]

LOL "10p cheaper then the Sun, Ten Times more fun!" Holy shit that's awesome. Do people largely dismiss these papers as shit like the Sun or Enquirer in the states?

Pretty much. The Daily Star is packed with sex line ads, upskirt pics, celeb gossip and trash news stories, and even the people I've met who read it don't actually believe any of the crap it prints.

 

[butter_stick]

Rockstar aren't hurt by their brand being in the public eye, no matter how insane the context is. Most you'll get is an appology.

 

[Rich!]

Wow, they have a babes section and it doesn't even ask you if you're 18 and up. Guess I should let UK take over the world!

12 year olds can buy The Sun newspaper/tabloid from any shop, supermarket or newsagent and see a topless chick on Page 3. :lol

 

[NekoFever]

LOL "10p cheaper then the Sun, Ten Times more fun!" Holy shit that's awesome. Do people largely dismiss these papers as shit like the Sun or Enquirer in the states?

People with half a brain do. I know a fair few Sun readers and my parents read shit like the Daily Mail, but I don't know anyone who'd be seen dead with the Star.

The Daily Sport is even worse. I think that even markets itself as a softcore porn 'news' paper.

I just avoid newspapers in general. Weird that we have some of the best broadcast news in the world but the vast majority of our printed press is either utter trash, has an overt agenda, or frequently both.

 

[Mama Robotnik]

People with half a brain do. I know a fair few Sun readers and my parents read shit like the Daily Mail, but I don't know anyone who'd be seen dead with the Star.

I think its target audience are people who can understand its headlines. This is their front page for tommorow:

I don't know what this means.

EDIT - ha, just seen Charlie Brooker's assessment of the situation on twitter.

I hope Rockstar sue the shit out of the Daily Star for this

 

[Empty]

I think its target audience are people who can understand its headlines. This is their front page for tommorow:

http://news.sky.com/sky-news/content/StaticFile/jpg/2010/Jul/Week3/15668944.jpg[img]

I don't know what this means.[/QUOTE]

the story on their website. i'm giving them clicks, but i had to know, the headline and sub-headline together were too ridiculous.

[QUOTE]
PLANS for Muslim-only loos at a major shopping centre are going down the pan.

Outraged council chiefs have demanded British-style toilets are used instead of Middle East-style squat holes.

Town leaders in Rochdale moved into action after the Daily Star sparked a national outcry by ­revealing the plans. [/QUOTE]

yikes. i can't believe people that stupid are employed as journalists, it's very sad.

also :lol at "national outcry",

 

[Fimbulvetr]

Please tell me these people run a parody tabloid. :I

 

[Mama Robotnik]

Yeah, Destructoid has been looking into the writer's Facebook Page.

After writing an article full of lies, deliberately upsetting the relative of a murder victim, and generally ruining the name of his entire industry, you'd think the man responsible for the tasteless Grand Theft Auto: Northumbria story would be remorseful. He was not.

Faux journalist and twat Jerry Lawton is the man responsible for vomiting up a Daily Star article that falsely claimed Rockstar was planning to make a GTA game based on real-life murderer Raoul Moat. On his Facebook page, the man expressed surprise and contempt for anybody who thought that what he did was reprehensible, making sure to betray his own low opinion of gamers in the process.

"Baffled by the fury of adult gamers," writes Lawton. "These are grown (?!?) men who sit around all day playing computer games with one another who've today chosen to enter the real world just long enough to complain about my story slamming a Raoul Moat version of Grand Theft Auto! You would think I'd denied the Holocaust!!! Think I'll challenge them to a virtual reality duel....stab....I win!!!"

Nice to see that Lawton conveniently left out the bit where he used a poorly doctored image that any idiot could have ascertained was fake, the bit where he used a 69-year-old grieving grandmother for his own ends, and the bit where he cobbled together a shitty little article full of lies that got taken down because it was a load of crap. Hilarious that he references the "real world" when his article was based in total fantasy to begin with. Maybe Lawton's the one who needs to step away from his computer and face reality.

You are baffled, Lawton, because people in the British shitrag press are rarely held accountable for their irresponsible writing. This is what it feels like to be exposed as a terrible, sleazy, dreadful, parasitic little man who writes for The Daily Star. That fact you don't even have the dignity or class to apologize for being such a disingenuous writer is what should be baffling you, mate.

Stab ... I win!

At least it infers complaints were made by the public.

 

[Gowans]

Hopefully tabloids will get some rules whacked on them like adverts, tv news and the shitstorm that happened over edited "documentaries".

What a joke that paper is.

 

[I <3 Memes]

I think he is just trying to get Rockstar to put his face on a giant statue in the next GTA game.

 

[Zachack]

Yeah, Destructoid has been looking into the writer's Facebook Page.



At least it infers complaints were made by the public.

I'd say feigning insanity is probably his best defense at this point.

 

[NichM]

So out of curiosity, given the incredibly shoddy Photoshoppery of the game cover, why are we all assuming he actually went out and talked to some grandma for the quote?

 

[Mama Robotnik]

So out of curiosity, given the incredibly shoddy Photoshoppery of the game cover, why are we all assuming he actually went out and talked to some grandma for the quote?

New Statesmen are claiming now he made that up too. According to Journalism.co.uk who have been in touch with paper, they're now conducting an internal investigation.

Its not what I hoped (an army of lawyers dispatched from Rockstar's HQ suing the paper into an empy husk then salting the earth, in case anyone is wondering).

 

[Dead Man Typing]

New Statesmen are claiming now he made that up too. According to Journalism.co.uk who have been in touch with paper, they're now conducting an internal investigation.

Its not what I hoped (an army of lawyers dispatched from Rockstar's HQ suing the paper into an empy husk then salting the earth, in case anyone is wondering).

Give it time.

 

[Yen]

I would laugh so hard if he was sacked. I think he deserves it anyway. But I'm sure he won't.

 

[Boney]

Who reads this paper? I mean, wow.

 

[dragonfart28]

 

[hxa155]

That's one racist newspaper.

 

[JonathanEx]

Rockstar probably could have grounds to sue. It's easy to sue for defamation, difficult to defend - and it's only that the statement is capable of carrying a defamatory meaning - that is, it would lower them in the minds of right thinking people (a group who are neither too liberal or too censorious).

The main challenge would be as they never named Rockstar in the article - but as the makers of GTA, could prove it.

Anyway - in defamation cases the burden of proof of accuracy is on the defendant. They'd have to prove that the game was real. Good luck with that. They'd just settle it out of court.

Rockstar/TT would have to prove:
1. that it was defamatory (easy)
2. that it was about them (not too difficult)
3. that it was published to a third party (piss easy)

Then the paper would just have to shit itself. Defamation doesn't have to be intentional - and it doesn't have to name the person, just so long as it's clear that some people familiar with the person (Rockstar is the "person") could realise it's about them.

 

[Drkirby]

Couldn't Rockstar sue them over this? I know celebrites have sued tabloids for posting false and damaging info about them. While they don't specifically say that Rockstar is developing it, they posted something that would the boxart and it's clearly laid out like a GTA game would be. So the implication is there.

Can we sue them on BEHALF of Rockstar? Just Sue them for legal costs and a few million to Take Two for the hell of it.

 

[NekoFever]

Daily Star apologises for GTA Rothbury

Tabloid admits it didn't check accuracy of story, pays damages to Rockstar

The Daily Star has apologised for its recent claims that Rockstar was working on GTA: Rothbury.

The tabloid admitted it didn't even bother checking whether or not the game was real, and didn't contact Rockstar - but apologises for contacting a grieving family member for comment.

Biting further into its slice of humble pie, the paper even apologised for not questioning why a "a best selling and critically acclaimed fictional games series would choose to base one of their most popular games on this horrifying real crime event".

In addition to the apology, the Daily Star has paid damages to Rockstar, which will be donated to charity.

The original story ran earlier this week, 'revealing' the cover art for a Grand Theft Auto game based on the recent Rothbury shootings, with the journalist who penned the piece later defending himself on Facebook.

Here is the Daily Star's statement in full:

"On 21 July we published an article claiming that the video games company Rockstar Games were planning to release a version of their popular Grand Theft Auto video games series titled 'Grand Theft Auto Rothbury'.

We also published what we claimed would be the cover of this game, solicited comments from a family member impacted by the recent tragedy and criticised Rockstar Games for their alleged plans.

We made no attempt to check the accuracy of the story before publication and did not contact Rockstar Games prior to publishing the story. We also did not question why a best selling and critically acclaimed fictional games series would choose to base one of their most popular games on this horrifying real crime event.

It is now accepted that there were never any plans by Rockstar Games to publish such a game and that the story was false. We apologise for publishing the story using a mock-up of the game cover, our own comments on the matter and soliciting critical comments from a grieving family member.

We unreservedly apologise to Rockstar Games and we have undertaken not to repeat the claims again. We have also agreed to pay them a substantial amount in damages which they are donating to charity."

 

[Monocle]

Yeah, Destructoid has been looking into the writer's Facebook Page.



At least it infers complaints were made by the public.

What a fucking sleazebag.

 

[Rapstah]

Rockstar should build a house full of Muslim-style loos to celebrate this.

 

[Radogol]

Daily Star apologises for GTA Rothbury

Fucking A! Didn't expect that to happen.