KELVIN MACKENZIE

elvin Mackenzie is the lowest of the low when it comes to journalism.

For our American friends, let me tell u a little story which just hightlight exactly what a lovely character he is!

In 1989 there was an awful tragedy that happened at a football match between Liverpool FC and Nottingham Forest at a stadium called Hillsborough. 96 fans lost their lives due to crushing because of overcrowding in the stadium. Mackenzie was at the helm of 'The Sun' at that time. The Sun printed the front-page headline "The Truth", with three sub-headings, "Some Fans Picked Pockets of Victims", "Some Fans Urinated on the Brave Cops" and "Some Fans Beat Up PC Giving Kiss Of Life". The accompanying article claimed that ticketless and drunken Liverpool F.C. fans were responsible for the disaster, having supposedly tried to fight their way into the stadium by rushing the turnstiles and attacking policemen outside the ground. Further specific allegations were made that during the disaster itself Liverpool fans inside the stadium had stolen wallets and other items from the dead, had urinated over policemen and the bodies of dead fans, that they had beaten policemen, ambulance men and rescue workers attempting to save the lives of other fans and had sexually abused the body of a dead girl after shouting "throw her up and we'll fuck her" to policemen moving her body.Needless to say this caused outrage on Merseyside at the time.

Non of the above could be substansiated and a public enquiry ensued head by Lord Justice Taylor, which laid blame at several doors - the police, design of stadium and late arrival of fans. 

In a book 'The History of The Sun' Peter Chippendale and Chris Horrie  wrote:-

'As MacKenzie's layout was seen by more and more people, a collective shudder ran through the office (but) MacKenzie's dominance was so total there was nobody left in the organisation who could rein him in except Murdoch. (Everyone in the office) seemed paralysed - "looking like rabbits in the headlights" - as one hack described them. The error staring them in the face was too glaring. It obviously wasn't a silly mistake; nor was it a simple oversight. Nobody really had any comment on it—they just took one look and went away shaking their heads in wonder at the enormity of it. It was a 'classic smear'.'

After publication of the article there wasnt a newsagents in Mersyside which would stock 'The Sun', and many still dont.

MacKenzie explained his reporting in 1993. Talking to a House of Commons National Heritage Select Committee, he said: "I regret Hillsborough. It was a fundamental mistake. The mistake was I believed what an MP said. It was a Tory MP. If he had not said it and the Chief Superintendent (David Duckenfield) had not agreed with it, we would not have gone with it."

MacKenzie repudiated this apology in November 2006, saying that he only apologised because the newspaper's owner Rupert Murdoch ordered him to do so. He said, "I was not sorry then and I'm not sorry now" for the paper's coverage MacKenzie refused again to apologise when appearing on the BBC's topical Question Time on 11 January 2007.

The Sun eventually printed a full and unreserved apology in 2004 - a full 15yrs later!

Mackenzie truly is the lowest of the low!!!

Apologies for the language on the photo but well....Right now I couldnt have put it better myself!!