The Daily Mail carries a piece today in which it apologises to the BBC's business editor, Robert Peston for having revealed that his late wife had cancer.In 2008, the paper reported on the illness of Peston's wife, Sian Busby, without giving the couple any advance warning or checking whether publication was "appropriate."In a page 2 item, "BBC man Peston and the Daily Mail", the paper points out that Peston's comments referred to a three-paragraph diary item. It continues:"A spokesman for the Daily Mail said: 'We very much regret the distress clearly caused by our 2008 diary piece, but it is important to understand the background.'This was a positive and upbeat three-paragraph item published after a reporter was introduced as a Mail diary journalist to Mrs Peston by a well-known freelance celebrity press photographer – who is also the late Mrs Peston's cousin – at a book launch in January 2008.'The reporter had a friendly conversation with Mrs Peston during which she volunteered information about her forthcoming book and her illness, which he quoted in his story.'She also posed for a picture with her husband, which we published alongside the story. No complaint was made to the Daily Mail at the time or since. We are sorry to learn some six years later that the story was not accurate and offer our sincere apologies.'"The paper says that during the James Cameron memorial lecture, delivered on Monday at City University London, Peston said his wife was a Mail reader "who... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2013-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]