The Daily Mail claimed a Univ. of Westminster student was a “Cheerleader for terrorist groups.” Now, the Mail has apologized and is paying that student, Farah Koutteineh “substantial damages.”
The Mail’s story was about a “Students not Suspects” protest at the university after the university put CCTV cameras in student prayer rooms, according to the court statement. Koutteineh is president of the university’s Palestinian society, which is one of many groups that were part of the campaign for changes at the university, the statement said, but the article suggested she was “the principal organiser or orchestrator of the campaign,” the court statement reads.
The article also claimed she organized an event that “Celebrated” a Palestinian hijacker, and the Mail didn’t contact her before publication, according to the open statement in court.
Koutteineh’s lawyer told iMediaEthics no other news outlets repeated the Mail’s claims and pointed to the open statement referenced above. iMediaEthics has written to the Mail to ask how the errors occurred.
The Mail published an apology July 26 reading:
“An article of 19 April 2018 about the University of Westminster students’ protest against the Government’s Prevent policy described student Farah Koutteineh as a ‘cheerleader for the terrorist groups’.
“We are happy to make clear that Farah Koutteineh does not in fact support any terrorist or terrorist group and apologise for any distress caused. “
Hat Tip: Press Gazette