The murder of over 50 people at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida early on Sunday morning has shocked and repulsed people worldwide.
As the scale of the horror became apparent throughout the day yesterday, it was clear that this was a massive news story, not just for the US but for the world.
US president Barack Obama described the mass murder as “an act of terror”, and pointedly “an act of hate” against LGBT people.
"In the face of hate and violence, we will love one another. We will not give into fear." —@POTUS https://t.co/i7fOS38GzH
— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) June 12, 2016
Sure enough, most of America’s and the world’s media reflected the magnitude of what had happened.
Front pages from across the US #Orlando pic.twitter.com/6RPQZJCnye
— Philip Bromwell (@philipbromwell) June 13, 2016
Monday 13th June 2016
front page newspaper collage #uk #frontpagestoday pic.twitter.com/AHA4BI4G2p— ⓒⓕ (@cfbcity) June 12, 2016
But there was one notable exception. Monday’s cover of the ‘Daily Mail’ makes absolutely no reference to the Orlando tragedy, instead splashing on a story about a “plot to let 1.5 million Turks into Britain”, along with coverage of Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday, plus an offer to get a pair of earrings like Her Majesty’s.
According to ‘The Guardian’, “the only recognition that [The Mail] had initially underplayed the story in its first edition was to move its spread forward from pages 10-11 to pages 4-5 by the second.”
https://twitter.com/scamful/status/742276263059070976
There has been a scathing response to the Mail’s lack of front page coverage.
https://twitter.com/AlexThyger/status/742271034137677824
nothing else going on? quiet weekend, was it? no dozens of gay people being senselessly murdered? pic.twitter.com/zpyP9OQF2C
— David Wyllie (@journodave) June 12, 2016
Worst terror attack since 9/11 in the US and The Daily Mail lead with this drivel. What a hateful rag. #DailyMail pic.twitter.com/6pwJ1ZNe7C
— Mr Burns (@supernoodle76) June 13, 2016
https://twitter.com/JRhodesPianist/status/742270702028529664
https://twitter.com/martinloves/status/742243186593157120
https://twitter.com/WillMcHoebag/status/742110685388230657
And the fact the Daily Mail didn't even acknowledge the massacre in Orlando on its front page just speaks volumes about that dreadful rag.
— Dave Jones (@WelshGasDoc) June 13, 2016
Pretty gobsmacked that today's #DailyMail didn't deem the gunning down of 50 innocent club goers in America as front page news… 😳
— Claire Jones (@ClaireJonesArt) June 13, 2016
https://twitter.com/botherer/status/742267339689873408
Disturbed, perturbed & disgusted at @DailyMailUK Frontpage today-more concerned with Immigration than 50 massacred pic.twitter.com/i3MgUTpoP1
— Linda Riley (@LindaRiley8) June 13, 2016
Writing in ‘The Guardian’, Roy Greenslade tries to unpack the “eccentric” decision to not splash on the biggest story of the day, concluding that: “It would appear to have been a mixture of its Eurosceptic fanaticism (the so-what speculative splash) plus commercial cynicism (a preordained determination to plug its readers’ offer: “pearl and white sapphire earrings, inspired by the stunning pearl earrings worn by the Queen… worth £35”).”
Why the Daily Mail didn't run Orlando massacre on front page: mix of commercial cynicism and Eurosceptic fanaticism https://t.co/CsSHnvN8dl
— Roy Greenslade (@GreensladeR) June 13, 2016
