The power of bloggers to do what dead tree publishers dare not do has been tested today - and the bloggers won. Just in case you hadn't noticed, The News of the World brought out legal injunctions, forbidding anyone to publish pictures of their so-called investigative journalist Mazher Mahood, the 'fake sheik' who is much given to disguising himself as an Arab prince in order to dig the dirt on minor celebs.
He tried it last weekend with George Galloway - but Georgeous George rumbled him and is currently after his blood.
When the NOTW riposted with the attempted injunction, radical political blogger Guido Fawkes spotted an illegal attempt to curb free speech and promptly published pictures of the fake sheik on his blog.
What was the result? The Queen's solicitors were employed to threaten Guido with a 'cease and desist' notice - to which he replied Fuck off Farrers, and encouraged others to do likewise.
And they did. The bloggers posted snaps, cartoons, and jokes about this slimeball journo all over the net today. By late afternoon the gagging order was thrown out in court, and the bloggers had won.
Well done Guido! The match may not actually be over yet, but certainly game and set to you today.
Actually, this story has got potential legs. More to come, d'you think?
1 comment:
Readers should not be afraid of their newspapers, journalists should be afraid of their readers.
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