News

[Poppet7]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006160117,00.html

[Poppet7]

Pathetic if you ask me...

[Sark79]

Thats crazy

[thetank]

Might be a little more to it than that.

I wouldn't care to comment except to say that more anti-Islamic journalism is not really what this country needs right now.

[Graham C]

If there is nothing more to the story than man plays poker - social services take child then there is something seriously wrong.

[Wardonkey]

I doubt it has anything to do with poker...

[NoflopsHomer]

Might be a little more to it than that.

I wouldn't care to comment except to say that more anti-Islamic journalism is not really what this country needs right now.

Parts of the media are Xenophobic? I don't believe it... 

[thetank]

What I mean is that this is a fine example of irresponsible tabloid journalism. Half a story which only has one pupose. To get bloke A to turn to bloke B in a pub and say "Bloody Muslims, this is our country" or "Bloody social services, don't know what they're doing"

Lets continue feeding the bigotry, show a picture of the parents looking distraught. God forbid we just report the facts and give the reader the chance to make their own mind up.

Nothing in the article about respecting the religious beliefs of others. Sometimes I wonder if the national media has a more sinister agenda than just shifting a larger volume of newspapers.

[ifm]

Might be a little more to it than that.

I wouldn't care to comment except to say that more anti-Islamic journalism is not really what this country needs right now.

I don't see it as being anti-islamic, more a straightforward this is what happened story in my eyes, though there probably is a lot more to it i agree.

EDIT, i see what you mean though it could be seen the other way around.

[RED-DOG]

Might be a little more to it than that.

I wouldn't care to comment except to say that more anti-Islamic journalism is not really what this country needs right now.

I don't see it as being anti-islamic, more a straightforward this is what happened story in my eyes, though there probably is a lot more to it i agree.

Eh?

[thetank]

There's plenty bias in the language used, designed to get the casual reader firmly on the side of the foster parents and against the social services and Islam natural mother.

The "distraught" child was "whisked" away while the "heartbroken" foster parents "watched helplessly"

The evil social workers "swooped" because the natural mother "claimed" that gambling was against her "new" beliefs.


"What an outrage" says Joe down the pub "Lets neck these Lagers and go beat up an Arab."

Not quite, but reporting like this doesn't help us all get along living together in a multi-cultural community.

[AndrewT]

Nothing in the article about respecting the religious beliefs of others. Sometimes I wonder if the national media has a more sinister agenda than just shifting more newspapers.

Nope - it's purely economics. The Sun's target audience is the white, working classes. This is the sort of story that appeals to that demographic.

Interestingly enough, I had a search on Google News for anything else about this story - and there was nothing. Obviously it was a story brought straight to the newspaper by the foster parents (hence the photo). As a result, the story is obviously biased from their point of view. There is no quote from the natural mother.

The quote from the Foster Care Association is illuminating if you read between the lines. They 'asked the foster father to stop playing poker at home but he refused'. Now, I seriously doubt that this was internet poker - obviously the dad was having poker nights at his house. The article states the foster association knew he played poker professionally - I doubt they knew he had poker nights at home, rather they thought he went out and won money in casinos.

If he's playing poker to earn a living at his home, these don't sound like 'get a few mates round for an evening of fun' type affairs, but proper, serious money, home games, which may well go on all night. Are they one-offs, or more regular occurances?

Now, I obviously don't know the full details of this story, but I bet it's not as cut and dried as the article makes out.

[AdamM]

if the natural mother had objected because she was a born again christian who was strongly against gambling would it have been reported in the same way, or at all?

is the focus of the story social services, poker as an acceptable way to make a living or islamic interferance in the englishmans business?

Tank for standing up

[ifm]

There's plenty bias in the language used, designed to get the casual reader firmly on the side of the foster parents and against the social services and Islam natural mother.

The "distraught" child was "whisked" away while the "heartbroken" foster parents "watched helplessly"

The evil social workers "swooped" because the natural mother "claimed" that gambling was against her "new" beliefs.


"What an outrage" says Joe down the pub "Lets neck these Lagers and go beat up an Arab."

Not quite, but reporting like this doesn't help us all get along living together in a multi-cultural community.

To be honest i didn't read it with your viewpoint, i actually thought:-

"too right, if it's against religious beliefs then fine",
then i thought:-

"though if the child has been fostered out then does the natural mother have that much of a say?"
Then:-

"well there could be any number of reasons why the child is with foster parents and therefore it was the right thing to do"

I guess i just don't read between the lines as you do Tank or maybe i have been conditioned by subliminal subtexts
At no point did i want to go out and beat up an Arab though.
I actually read this earlier and i'm pretty sure there was no reference to the foster "dad" being asked to stop playing poker and refusing, there may be something in that.

[AdamM]

I think you're giving it a lot more thought than your average sun reader Ifm. good for you