The Guardian

Guardian removes article wrongly accusing Labour's Carwyn Jones of 'crying his eyes out' in Welsh assembly

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By Rebecca Stewart, Trends Editor

May 18, 2016 | 2 min read

The Guardian has unpublished a column accusing Welsh Labour leader Carwyn Jones of "breaking down" in the Welsh assembly after a vote to reappoint him as first minister was tied.

Carwyn Jones labour cry guardian

The article's main photograph (above) showed Jones holding a handkerchief up to his face, with the text emphatically stating: "There is no ambiguity about what we are seeing. Jones is crying his eyes out."

However, the paper has now backtracked, saying "in the video itself it was clear that he was not crying," and adding that its team had since been informed that the former leader was rubbing his eyes "due to a medical condition".

Running under the headline 'Carwyn Jones was crying for Labour’s slow, horrible death', the opinion piece was first published on 12 May by columnist Jonathan Jones and described the politician's so-called tears as a "refreshingly honest sight - and a foreboding one, too."

The Guardian was criticised for running the column by readers on Facebook, with one follower stating: "Remember when comment was free, but facts were sacred?"

The article's URL now leads to a an information page, blaming the initial story on "mistaken premise".

guardian carwyn jones

Jones is expected to be named as first minster of Wales today after striking a deal with nationalist party Plaid Cymru.

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