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Amal Alamuddin Daily Mail George Clooney

George Clooney rejects "lying" Daily Mail's apology over wedding troubles

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

July 11, 2014 | 3 min read

Actor George Clooney has rejected British newspaper the Daily Mail’s apology for publishing a story that falsely claimed his fiancé’s mother disapproved of their marriage.

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In a statement to USA Today, Clooney thanked the newspaper for aplogising for “any distress caused” but refused to accept it, he said: "What separates this from all of the ridiculous things the Mail makes up is that now, by their own admission, it can be proved to be a lie.

"The Mail knew the story... was false and printed it anyway.”

The Ocean’s Eleven star called the Daily Mail "the worst kind of tabloid, one that makes up its facts to the detriment of its readers”.

The Mail on Wednesday acted "irresponsibly" and was "inciting violence" with its claims that Baria Alamuddin objected to him marrying her daughter Amal on religious grounds.

The story, first published online, was amended for print with the tabloid claiming a “family friend” was the source. It was later claimed that the story had been "supplied in good faith by a reputable and trusted freelance journalist" who had "based her story on conversations with a long-standing contact".

Clooney concluded: "The problem is that none of that is true… either they were lying originally or they're lying now.

"There is one constant when a person or company is caught doing something wrong… the cover-up is always worse."

Angelina Jolie is reportedly also taking action against the Daily Mail for publishing a video obtained from the US National Enquirer tabloid of her in the “grip of heroin addiction".

Clooney’s fiancé Amal Alamuddin is a lawyer who represented WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange in his extradition proceedings with Sweden.

Amal Alamuddin Daily Mail George Clooney

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