"Journalist" Who Wrote Fake GTA Story Ridicules Gamers

[GuideBot]

Right a few answers to some questions. First up, to the user who commented about this being libel, I'm fairly sure it's not. I believe libel requires material damage to reputation via the medium of printed word. (although thankfully this doesn't apply to forum/message boards) Rockstar would have to prove that their reputation was damaged by this article. Given that it generally won't be I don't think there's grounds for libel. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

It's blatantly untrue, certainly. But unfortunately that's not actually illegal as such in this country. We have the Press Complaint's Commission who, as has been presented in this very thread, have a Code of Conduct. Now papers are supposed to abide by this, it covers false stories, handling grieving families with compassion and a host of other stuff. It's not mandatory and even if a newspaper does breach it the PCC has no ability to levy any kind of punishment which would hurt. So as a result newspapers like the Star can and do print whatever they like. If they do get collared they print a tiny retraction and laugh about it. Most tabloid papers find it hard to even admit fault in those.

The UK libel and defamation laws are some of the widest and most accessible in the world. That's why the rest of the world comes here when they want to sue for defamation.

I did a bit on this on my tort module this year. As far as I can tell, if they wanted to, Rockstar would certainly have a case here, at least as far as the legal theory is concerned.

 

[The Thief]

I am baffled by the ignorance of Jerry Lawton. This is a grown man who sits around all day writing bogus news reports that nobody reads, who has today chosen to take his head out of his ass just long enough to complain about the backlash from his story slamming a fake Raoul Moat version of Grand Theft Auto, and display his dimwitted view of gaming culture, then virtually STAB ME TO DEATH!!! You would think he'd been denied his medication!!! I think I'll challenge him to write a piece of news that isn't completely unreliable....(glances at the mention of 'The Daily Star') ....I win!!!

 

[Obliterato]

Clearly he went to the Piers Morgan school of Journalism, make a fake photo invent a story and sell sell sell. He's another self rigtheous idiot who will probably make a TV career after everyones forgotten what a slimey honourless dirtbag he is.

 

[Jezzascmezza]

What a dick.
He should just apologize about what he did and resign from his job,
instead of being a smart-ass and talking shit about gamers.

 

[FallenJellyDoughnut]

This guy is a grade A troll, I'd applaud him for the lengths he appears willing to go in trying to keep trolling the gaming industry, but unlike a normal troll people listen to this idiot.

Any word on 4chan striking out against this douche?

I just checked, it seems thats a no, I think 4chan is lying low after the Jessi Slaughter trolling (she deserved it though)

 

[Volucer]

"Baffled by the fury of adult gamers," he wrote. "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!!!"

I agree with him here, I mean I'd much rather sit around on the bog all day writing about what excrement I see at the bottom of the bowl.

 

[RobCoxxy]

Reading the actual article, it appears to be written in primary school prose, which I was taught to stop making in year four. Here's an excerpt:

"A book on the crazed killer is due out in weeks and film companies are lining up bids for the rights. (New Paragraph) And last night gaming websites showed the cover of Grand Theft Auto Rothbury - A version of the hit Grand Theft Auto."

This type of writing at English GCSE level gets you a verbal slapping from your teachers for being awful, so I assume, quite safely, that this wanker quit education well before he hit 15.

 

[psychowatcher]

...Wow, what an asshole. But then again, he writes for a tabloid, so journalistic integrity is too much to ask.

 

[Virus49]

Luckily, at least where I live. Nobody has even heard of this story or would give a shit if they had. Anybody with even the slightest bit of common sense would know it was fake.

I guess this is a good point about the majority of people getting their news from the TV. They might be bad but something like that just doesnt go on the air.

 

[similar.squirrel]

There is something unnerving about grown men being dedicated to the ol' pew-pew, but this guy is way out of line. Also, a blatant falsification in a national newspaper? Blatant being the key word here, since you can't really expect objectivity from the press in most cases..

 

[Deofuta]

This guy is a grade A troll, I'd applaud him for the lengths he appears willing to go in trying to keep trolling the gaming industry, but unlike a normal troll people listen to this idiot.

Any word on 4chan striking out against this douche?

This entire incident smacks of Jessie Slaughter in the first place.

Brain Slushie indeed.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

Charlie Brooker, after reading of this, said that newpapers need the kind of clean up campaign that swept thru TV a couple of years ago over phone call votes and dodgy bits of film presented as truth, only far, far more so, as newspapers are so much more inherently dishonest than TV. (not quoted, just the general gist, or it'd have been written better)

This from a journalist and columnist of a newspaper, too.

I'm in total agreement, in fact, in light of the government's plan to place a minimum price on a unit of alcohol, I'd suggest a minimum price of £1 for a newspaper too, then the Sun and the Star wouldn't sell millions purely based on the fact that they cost 20p, they'd have to be actually as good as the rest.

I'd personally also love to see the PCC handed over to an independent body, when the guy that owns the Daily Mail,Paul Dacre is chairman of the Press Complaints Commission's editors' code committee. How many complaints are going to be upheld when the owner of a major newspaper effectively runs the watchdog?

 

[Kinguendo]

"who've today chosen to enter the real world just long enough to complain about my story" - Heres what he said, look at that closely... Now I have debated quite a few people on this site about many different subjects and I can say even the worst among us can spot this guys logic failure here and pwn him in a sentence.

In case you cant be bothered I will do it for you, the adult gamers would have had to have been in the real world to have read his article about it in the first place... unless MW2 has started streaming Daily Star articles into our headset while we play.

If you cant even stop basic logic failures like that you shouldnt be reporting on anything, then again... it is the Daily Star so take that for what its worth.

 

[Samus Aaron]

Wait... people actually took this seriously? Why are people angry at a game that was so obviously fake? Grand Theft Rothbury? Christ, No one actually believed that game was real did they? If they were angry at being fooled, they should be pointing fingers at themselves for not using common sense, not the journalist.
Not that journalist isn't a moron for responding.

 

[Lepre-Khan]

Proof that rampant idiocy and lunacy isnt a purely American matter. EY-OH!

 

[Withall]

So... he poked the gamer community, and it squirmed? What kind of a pussy community is that?

I have not done anything to learn about what it is all about, but at face value... this was a knee-jerk reaction from the gamer community, fearing another "Thompson" debacle. It seems like we need to lighten up, LISTEN to complaints, and return collected, rational reponses: uneducated or not.

It seems like this guy trolled the gamer community. And it swallowed the bait, hook, line and sinker.

 

[shadow741]

More than 225 people think you're a dick, asshole, etc. I have one question. Are you proud of yourself?

 

[Arawn.Chernobog]

Hahaha... Journalists...

I laugh at you and the death of your work, both televised and printed, the Internet has news at their source many times DAYS ahead of any news team, not to mention it's also more biased as it features all sides to an argument...

Journalists have smut, biased stories and now... FAKE stories

gg, journalism