Complain about Jan Moir

In response to the Jan Moir / Daily Hate Mail's atrocious piece on why being gay caused Stephen Gately's death, I have complained to the Press Complaints Commission - copy of the email below.

The piece goes much further that just suggesting that Gately didn't die of natural causes, it is a pathetic attempt to smear civil partnerships, smears Gately's lifestyle, and claims that 33 year old men don't occasionally die suddenly. As a registered nurse who worked in a cardiac ward for a number of years, I can tell you for certain that 33 year old men do occasionally die suddenly from a previously undetected heart condition. I have seen it happen.

Please add your voice ot the complaints. The Press Complaints Commission website crashed last night but is working this morning and they have added a dedicated link for Jan Moir complaints. Facebook campaign here (over 9000 members in 24 hours!). More from the BBC here.

To: complaints@pcc.org.uk

Dear Press Complaints Commission,

I wish to lodge my complaint about Jan Moir's article on the Daily Mail website today which claims that Stephen Gately's death was not natural and was a result of him being gay.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1220756/A-strange-lonely-troubling-death--.html

This appalling offensive article breaches the following points of your code of practice:

Code 1) Accuracy
- The article fails to distinguish clearly between comment, conjecture and fact.
- Speculation around Mr Cowles and Mr Dochev's relationship is misleading.

Code 3) Privacy
- Reporting ill founded speculation over Mr Cowles and Mr Dochev's relationship is a clear breach of Mr Cowles right to privacy.

Code 5) Intrusion into grief or shock
- Reporting such speculation and insinuation so soon after Mr Gately's death in an intrustion into the grief of those who knew him, and the shock of his fans over his death and situation surrounding it.

Code 12) Discrimination
- The insinuation of Mr Cowles infidelity is only based on the fact he is a homosexual.
- Mr Gately's sexuality has no relevance to his death, or the cause of death.

I look forward to your response.
--
Stuart Jeffery
Green Party Parliamentary candidate for Maidstone and the Weald