Irish newspaper suspends editor over Kate`s "indecent" photos
The editor of an Irish daily that carried topless pictures of British royal Kate Middleton has been suspended over the publication of the controversial snaps.
|Last Updated: Sep 18, 2012, 07:41 PM IST|Source: Bureau
London: The editor of an Irish daily that carried topless pictures of British royal Kate Middleton has been suspended over the publication of the controversial snaps.
The editor of the Irish Daily Star Michael O`Kane, has been suspended over the publication of the "indecent" photographs of the 30-year-old Duchess of Cambridge.
The Irishpaper`s co-owners, Independent News and Media, confirmed that O`Kane has been suspended, the BBC reported.
The suspension came even as an investigation into the use of the photos was taking place.
The Irish Daily Star published the photographs on Saturday, after they had appeared in French magazine Closer.
On Monday, the Irish Justice Minister Alan Shatter said he would revisit the country`s privacy bill following the Irish Daily Star`s reprinting of the pictures.
Shatter said legislation was needed to ensure a balance between proper investigative journalism and an individual`s right to privacy.
"Some sections of the print media are either unable or unwilling in their reportage to distinguish between `prurient interest` and `the public interest`," he added.
The tabloid`s co-owner, Richard Desmond, said he was "taking immediate steps to close down" the Irish newspaper.
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said it was an "over the top reaction".
Earlier, the NUJ said it was "disproportionate" to threaten to cut more than 100 jobs.
Desmond is chairman of the UK-based publisher Northern & Shell, which jointly owns the Irish Daily Star with Irish newspaper group, Independent News and Media (INM).
NUJ Irish secretary, Seamus Dooley, said the closure threat was "a callous and crude attempt by Northern and Shell to protect their UK commercial interests", and he claimed that the company had shown "no regard for the livelihood" of its Irish workers.
Both co-owners of the Irish Daily Star had criticised the decision of its editor, Mike O`Kane, to publish the pictures.
Apart from the Irish paper, an Italian and a French magazine have also published the controversial pictures and the Royals have sued the French magazine.
Prince William and Kate were clicked with a powerful camera lens as the couple holidayed in southern France.
Meanwhile, lawyers acting for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had sought an injunction from a French court to restrict publication of the pictures.
The court today blocked the future publication of topless photos of the Duchess of Cambridge.
The court also ordered that publishers must give the originals to the couple within 24 hours.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.