Baby Genie

Why I pulled out of News of the World Fabulous Magazine feature

July 10, 2011 at 8:35 am | Posted in Daily Life | 11 Comments
Tags: Fabulous Magazine, News International, News of the World

After reading my post ‘I was saved by a raisin’ at CyberMummy I began a conversation with a freelance journalist for Fabulous Magazine the glossy lifestyle mag that comes with The News of the World.  Despite the closure of the newspaper this Sunday, the magazine will continue on in its own right.

They were doing a feature about anxieties and were interested in the compulsions I’d overcome to list things, remember everything, find things and keep the house spick and span.  I was quite interested in getting across how quickly I’d been able to address the issue and improve my life once I’d realised it was a curable condition rather than just an annoying part of my personality.  I felt that many people who just tolerated afflictions like OCD would find hope in my story.

But since news broke of the extent of the phone hacking scandal at News International, I started to have second thoughts.  And when the plot thickened I took the cowards route and opted to text the journalist and let them know how I felt.  She’s a really respected journalist and I felt a sense of guilt for letting her down, but nothing compared to the way I’d feel seeing my face inside a magazine that is associated with some many awful events – especially the allegations that Milly Dowler’s phone was hacked and those of the relatives of the 7/7 bombing victims as well as dead servicemen.  It just makes you cold to the core.

Whilst many, many innocent parties at The News of the World have been impacted by this and lost their jobs for no wrong doing, I didn’t feel comfortable with the situation – especially as there was a fee for taking part.  I also feel for the freelance journalists who regularly wrote for Fabulous Magazine and the impact this will have on them.  With the rumours that The Sun will go seven days a week, nothing has really changed with the paper closing but a lot of people have to suffer the consequences as a result – quite unfairly, whilst those responsible still have their soap boxes.

What would you have done?  Pocketed the cash? Run a mile?  I’d be interested to know.