Mirror 1/2/07

The most striking and to-the-point frontpage headline from February 1st's press was in the Mirror - "Behead a Hero."

In the sub-headline the word plot is in speech marks. But it is not in speech marks in the first para of the frontpage story. A plot to kidnap and behead a British soldier is presented as fact. The only qualification on the frontapage, apart from 'plot', is that the plotters were allegedly days away from carrying out their plan - not that the plan itself is only an allegation.

Page 4 has a half-page headline: They Were Planning a 'Ken Bigley'. The only mention of ken Bigley in the accompanying story however comes from an unnamed "senior source". This uncorroborated information from a single source doesn't prevent the Mirror from putting in a picture of Ken Bigley.

Parts of the Mirror's page 4 report could possibly have been lifted from the Times. Consider the following:

* Mirror
"The terror gang are said to have been planning to carry out the kidnap, torture and murder in the space of just 72 hours, to evade the intense police investigation that would follow."

* Times (page 2)
"The plan was to be carried out within 72 hours because the plotters knew the kidnapping would result in an intense police search, security sources said."

Or maybe they just spoke to the same unnamed spook.

Page 6 of the Mirror has a pic of a woman in a veil. Other national papers to feature pics of women in veils to accompany the "British soldier kidnapping and beheading plot" story are Daily Mail, Express, Telegraph and Sun.

However, the story on page 4 is a piece by Roy Hatersley about the need to be cautious and remember that no-one has been charged. he warns of the dangers of govs crying wolf and says that extremists are oddballs and dropouts from the Muslim community. The editorial is similarly cautious. It reminds us that a man was shot in Forrest Gate and that cool heads need to prevail.

Speculatory language in the Mirror is less than half of what it is in the Times, Mail and Express:

* page 4
"beheading plot gang..."
"allegedly plotted..."
"it was planned to..."
"are said to have been..."
"police believe..."
"alleged target..."
"if this alleged plan..."