The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

-d -h -min -sec

The Sun

The Sun burned by MPs for ludicrous 'mark of the devil' child story

Author

By John McCarthy | Opinion Editor

July 29, 2014 | 4 min read

Britain’s top-selling tabloid newspaper the Sun has been ridiculed heavily on Twitter and criticised by MPs for running a story featuring a four-year-old boy seemingly with the “mark of the devil”.

Samuel shows the mark off accompanied by his mother

The exclusive story entitled 'BOY, 4, HAS MARK OF DEVIL', has sparked a debate regarding reporting ethics after the Sun interviewed a family “desperate for the truth" and "confused and frightened".

Critics have commented that the story could endanger the child if anyone were to believe he was actually marked by the devil - as happened with eight-year-old Victoria Climbié who was tragically killed by her guardians who believed she was possessed by demons.

Alternatively the article also opens the child up to ridicule in school.

The Sun, which last month announced a new commercial deal with frozen foods retailer Iceland, reports that the devil’s mark appeared on the child on May 23 and disappeared, less than a month later by June 16. Many have pointed out that the bullseye target mark, touted as the sign Mammon, looks like a burn from a hair dryer.

Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston called for the story to be pulled from the paper and issued a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission.

Wollaston told the Guardian: "It is a completely outrageous headline, and to link that with an identifiable picture of a child is wholly inappropriate on every level.

"This is absolutely not lighthearted. What possible justification can there be for including this child's face, or for saying this child is marked by the devil? It is the most irresponsible piece of journalism I have seen for a long time."

Additionally, Labour MP Tom Watson took a swipe at Rupert Murdoch, owner of the Sun, for the ludicrous headline.

One Twitter user said "being on the front page of the Sun is far more shameful than having the 'mark of devil' on your chest".

A Sun spokesman told the Guardian: "This was a story provided by the parents, who had already publicised the pictures and story on Facebook. We sought to treat it in a light-hearted fashion, highlighting the apparently fanciful link to the occult.

"We are conscious of the code and guidance around paying parents. We did not encourage the parents to embellish or expand the story; it came to us, and had already been the subject of discussion (raised by the parents) on social media.”

The paper, which earlier this year introduced an online paywall for its content, also suggested that the mark upon four-year-old Samuel from Market Drayton, Shropshire, was the result of an "alien abduction".

The Sun

More from The Sun

View all

Trending

Industry insights

View all
Add your own content +