Jan Moir
| Jan Moir | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 1956 (age 55) |
| Residence | Knightsbridge, London |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Journalist, columnist, restaurant reviewer |
| Years active | (?-present) |
| Known for | Opinion column in Daily Mail |
Jan Moir (born August 1956)[1] is a British journalist,[2] columnist[3] and restaurant reviewer.[4]
She currently writes for the Daily Mail,[3] having previously worked for The Daily Telegraph[5] and The Guardian newspapers.[6] Until late 2008, she also ran "Are You Ready To Order?", a blog of restaurant reviews.[4]In 2005, she won the Society of Women Writers' "Lynda Lee-Potter award" for the outstanding woman journalist of the year.[7]
In October 2009, Moir wrote in an article in the Daily Mail criticising aspects of the death of Boyzone singer Stephen Gately in the context of same-sex civil partnerships.[3] The article provoked much criticism,[8] and after receiving a record number of complaints, the Press Complaints Commission announced that it would investigate.[9][10] A campaign that emerged through social media led to advertisers withdrawing from association with Moir's column, and the newspaper removing all advertisements from the online version of the article.[11] Moir wrote an article in the newspaper a week later entitled "The truth about my views on the tragic death of Stephen Gately".[12]
On 6 November 2009, Moir was awarded the Stonewall Bigot of the Year Award jointly with Father John Owen.[13][14].
On 17 February 2010, the Press Complaints Commission confirmed that although it was "uncomfortable with the tenor of the columnist's remarks", it would not uphold the complaints made. The Crown Prosecution Service also concluded that there was insufficient evidence that the article had breached the law.[15] In an interview on the BBC Today programme, PCC chairwoman Baroness Buscombe said the commission found the article "in many areas extremely distasteful" but that the Daily Mail had escaped censure because it "just failed to cross the line".[16]
[edit] References
- ^ She was 45 in May 2002 (see "Not dead yet", The Times, London, 28 May 2002); her birthday is in August (see "Jan Moir searches Italy for the perfect birthday treat", The Guardian, London, 27 August 1995, p. 5.
- ^ Journalisted entry, retrieved 16 October 2009.
- ^ a b c Moir, Jan (16 October 2009). "A strange, lonely and troubling death...". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1220756/A-strange-lonely-troubling-death--.html.
- ^ a b Jan Moir Are You Ready To Order? website, retrieved 16 October 2009.
- ^ Jan Moir's Daily Telegraph columns. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
- ^ Jan Moir's Guardian columns. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
- ^ Cozens, Claire (26 October 2005). "Telegraph's Moir wins journalism award". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2005/oct/26/pressandpublishing.
- ^ Greenslade, Roy (16 October 2009). "Mail columnist provokes homophobia storm over Stephen Gately's death". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2009/oct/16/dailymail-stephen-gately.
- ^ Booth, Robert (16 October 2009). "Daily Mail column on Stephen Gately death provokes record complaints". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/oct/16/stephen-gately-boyzone. "Complaints poured in to the Press Complaints Commission at the fastest rate in its history, causing its website to crash."
- ^ Sabbagh, Dan (19 October 2009). "Record 21,000 complaints to watchdog on Daily Mail article on Stephen Gately", The Times, London.
- ^ Tryhorn, Chris; Bunz, Mercedes; Sweney, Mark (16 October 2009). "Marks & Spencer pulls ads from Daily Mail article on Stephen Gately's death". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/oct/16/stephen-gately-jan-moir-complaints.
- ^ Moir, Jan (23 October 2009). "The truth about my views on the tragic death of Stephen Gately". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1222246/The-truth-views-tragic-death-Stephen-Gately.html.
- ^ Geen, Jessica (6 November 2009). "Daily Mail columnist Jan Moir wins Stonewall Bigot of the Year award". Pink News (London). http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/11/06/daily-mail-columnist-jan-moir-wins-stonewall-bigot-of-the-year-award/.
- ^ 'The Guardian', 18 February 2010
- ^ The Guardian, 18 February 2010
- ^ "Gately column complaint rejected". BBC News. 18 February 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8521105.stm. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
