Jan Moir's column on Stephen Gately recieves record number of complaints.

The Press Gazette have reported that Jan Moir's much publicised homophobic Mail Online column; "Why there was nothing "natural" about Stephen Gately's death?" has recieved a record 21,000 complaints to date, making it the most complained about story in the history of the Press Complaints Commission.

Will the complaints be taken forward?

There have been some reports that the PCC, can only deal with a complaint if it is to come directly from the Gately family. The Press Gazette have said: "It is likely to be dealt with under clause five of the Editors’ Code of Practice which states: "In cases involving personal grief or shock, enquiries and approaches must be made with sympathy and discretion and publication handled sensitively."

Press Gazette have also asked the PCC whether it could deal with a clause three complaint made by third parties, or whether it would need the involvement of the Gately family.

A spokesman said: "The commission will need to consider that. Intrusion into grief or shock to some extent requires the involvement of those expressing the grief."

Jan Moir denies homophobia

Jan Moir issued a statement on Friday after the publication of her now infamous column, denying any charges of homophobia: "Some people, particularly in the gay community, have been upset by my article about the sad death of Boyzone member Stephen Gately. This was never my intention. Stephen, as I pointed out in the article was a charming and sweet man who entertained millions."

"In what is clearly a heavily orchestrated internet campaign I think it is mischievous in the extreme to suggest that my article has homophobic and bigoted undertones."

Janet Street Porter on Stephen Gately, Kevin McGhee and Ian Baynham.

The Mail Online were responsible for publishing Moir's homophobic article, but on Sunday October 18 the same website published a far more balanced article on Jan Moir's piece penned by Janet Street Porter.

Porter highlighted that three of her gay friends had passed away in the last two weeks, two of which were mentioned in Moir's article - Gately and Matt Lucas' ex husband Kevin McGhee.

The legendary broadcaster stresses that the only thing these three men had in common was the fact that they were gay. In every other facet of their lives they were completely different, highlighting the sheer diversity of the gay community, as opposed to Moir's narrow stereotypes.

Perhaps more importantly, Porter also highlighted that last week a man did die becuase of his sexuality, but it wasn't Stephen Gately.

62 year old Ian Baynham had his life support machine turned off last week, he had been the victim of a homophobic attack as he strolled through Trafalgar Square with a friend on September 25.

Three people - two teenage girls and an 18 year old man - kicked and beat him, resulting in fatal head injuries.

Unlike Gately's and McGhee's untimely deaths, Baynham's murder failed to hit the headlines (outside of the pink press). Once again highlighting the media's reluctance to take homophobia seriously.

Good on Janet Street Porter, for bringing Baynham's murder and London's rising homophobic hate hate crime statistics to the fore.

Millions of people will read and be influenced by the opinion pieces posted on Mail Online; Jan Moir would do well to read Ms Porter's piece to see how journalism can be used to raise awareness, rather than suspicion.

Daily Mail infers Stephen Gately died of a ‘gay lifestyle’

Web users on sites such as Twitter and Facebook have reacted angrily to Jan Moir's attack on the late Stephen Gately in today's Daily Mail.

Moir linked Gately's "strange and lonely death" to the fact that he was gay.

In the article originally entitled ‘Why there was nothing natural about Stephen Gately’s death’, (See here for a screenshot of the new article title with the old title still visible to the right courtesy of Charlie Brooker) the journalist goes on to sully the late singers reputation as a respectable young man who is seen by many as a champion of gay rights and looked up to as a role model by millions.

In what is a particularly vicious and unprovoked attacked on the deceased star Jan Moir then goes onto use every opportunity to attack the gay community:

“As a gay rights champion, I am sure he would want to set an example to any impressionable young men who may want to emulate what they might see as his glamorous routine. For once again, under the carapace of glittering, hedonistic celebrity, the ooze of a very different and more dangerous lifestyle has seeped out for all to see.”

Causing an absolute twit-storm

By 3pm the article itself had attracted 500 comments on the Mail website and, according to Twitter contributer and blogger Malcolm Coles, advertisers had demanded that they be pulled form the offending page after a barrage of unhappy tweets sent at the big companies advertising with the Mail.

On Twitter, Derren Brown has urged people to "complain where it matters", with a link to the Press Complaints Commission website; while Stephen Fry tweeted: "I gather a repulsive nobody writing in a paper no one of any decency would be seen dead with has written something loathsome and inhumane."

Stephen Fry later adds, "The Press Complaints Commission website is down. Sheer volume of traffic. That says something about the strength of feeling I think."

The story has been quickly picked up by other news sites:

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/michaeldeacon/100013838/no-stephen-gately-did-not-die-of-being-gay/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2009/oct/16/jan-moir-stephen-gately-facebook-twitter

Please read and leave comments on the website if you can’t get through to the Press Complaints Commission:

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

Make your complaint heard

The Press Complaints Commission is an independent organisation monitoring British newspapers and magazines to ensure they adhere to ethical guidelines. As tweeter kenrayner says, "[Jan Moir] breaches 1, 3, 5 & 12 of the code". The online complaints form is located here.

You can also email in your complaint to: complaints@.pcc.org.uk

By Andrew Gilliver