The UK Sunday Times tweeted an apology to former deputy prime minister John Prescott for incorrectly quoting him, The Guardian reported. According to the Times, the error was a result of a production glitch. But, the apology is not good enough, Prescott says. Prescott is calling for a retraction on the front page of the Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper.
The article reportedly claims Prescott told “friends” that “it is only early days, but it has not been a great start” for Labour leader Ed Miliband. (Because the Sunday Times is behind a paywall, StinkyJournalism cannot verify this.)
Prescott responded via Twitter claiming it is “Typical of Murdoch newspaper to blame production worker, not the journalist.” Prescott also alleged that the quote was “made up” and not just misattributed.
According to The Guardian, Prescott is “a potential victim of phone hacking” from the News of the World, which is also owned by Murdoch.
UK independent organization FullFact.org has solicited the UK press regulatory group the Press Complaints Commission and asked it to “investigate ” the quote.