# Sunday Express Dunblane controversy > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sunday_Express_Dunblane_controversy > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sunday_Express_Dunblane_controversy.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_Express_Dunblane_controversy > Source revision: 1349552063 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Controversial 2009 British press article The Scottish edition of the *[Sunday Express](/source/Daily_Express#Sunday_Express)* newspaper published a front page article by Paula Murray on 8 March 2009, "Anniversary Shame of Dunblane Survivors",[1] which was critical of survivors of the [Dunblane massacre](/source/Dunblane_massacre), by then aged 18 and 19, for posting "shocking blogs and photographs of themselves on the Internet". The "shocking" content, read from the survivors' social networking pages, with [Bebo](/source/Bebo) being mentioned in the article, included colloquial language and some swearing, mentions of sex and alcohol and joking references to a confrontation (interpreted by the tabloid as a "boast" about "getting in fights") and to being a "Scottish terrorist" in London. The article received a great deal of negative attention given the tenuous grounds for making the attacks. Survivors and members of the public complained to the UK [Press Complaints Commission](/source/Press_Complaints_Commission).[2][3][4] The news article was removed from the *Daily Express* web site, but continued to provoke strong reactions, particularly among the blogging community.[5] An online petition was drawn up asking for a front-page apology from the paper, as well as disciplinary action against the journalist and editor responsible; by 30 March, when it closed, it had attracted 11,186 signatures.[6] [Liz Smith](/source/Liz_Smith_(politician)), a [Member of Scottish Parliament](/source/Member_of_the_Scottish_Parliament), was also criticised for describing the contents of some blogs as "in bad taste", a comment that was implied by the article to apply to those of the Dunblane survivors. She later claimed that her comments were quoted out of context, and were directed at teenage bloggers in general; a claim disputed by the *Scottish Sunday Express* editor [Derek Lambie](/source/Derek_Lambie).[7] ## Apology On 22 March, the *Scottish Sunday Express* printed an apology, stating that: "Our front-page story about the teenage survivors of the Dunblane massacre and their use of social networking websites has caused terrible offence, not only in that town, but across Scotland and around the world. Where possible, we have spoken to the families involved and given them a heartfelt apology. Today we apologise to you, our loyal readers."[8] [9] [10] The organisers of the online petition criticised the apology as "inadequate", stating that it "dodges the issue of what was wrong with the original article, fails to provide a satisfactory explanation for how this piece happened, holds nobody to account for its publication and offers no reassurance that this won't happen again".[11] ## Press Complaints Commission On 22 June 2009, the Press Complaints Commission issued an adjudication stating that the paper had made a "serious error of judgement" and further remarked that the subjects of the article "were not public figures in any meaningful sense, and the newsworthy event that they had been involved in as young children had happened 13 years previously ... since then they had done nothing to warrant media scrutiny, and the images appeared to have been taken out of context and presented in a way that was designed to humiliate or embarrass them." Whilst noting the newspaper's apology, the Commission ruled that "the breach of the Code was so serious that no apology could remedy it", and upheld the complainants' claim that it "had only been made because of a national outcry and a petition which had attracted 11,000 signatures."[12] ## References - [Scotland portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Scotland) - [Journalism portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Journalism) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Paula Murray (2009-03-08). "Anniversary Shame of Dunblane Survivors". Scottish Sunday Express. pp. 1, 7. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Oliver Luft (2009-03-16). ["PCC targets Sunday Express over Dunblane allegations"](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/mar/16/pcc-targets-sunday-express-over-dunblane-claims). *The Guardian*. London. Retrieved 2009-03-18. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Scottish Sunday Express Facing PCC Investigation over Dunblane Article"](http://www.allmediascotland.com/press_news/15000/scottish-sunday-express-facing-pcc-investigation-over-dunblane-article). allmediascotland. 2009-03-17. Retrieved 2010-10-02. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Neil Walker (2009-03-20). ["And the Wankley goes to ...the Scottish Sunday Express"](http://www.crikey.com.au/Media-Arts-and-Sports/20090320-And-the-Wankley-goes-to-the-Scottish-Sunday-Express.html). Crikey.com.au. Retrieved 2009-03-20. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Nicole Kobie (2009-03-19). ["Web takes revenge after Express story"](http://www.itpro.co.uk/blogs/nicolek/2009/03/19/web-takes-revenge-after-express-story/). IT Pro. Retrieved 2009-03-19. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** "Sunday Express "Dunblane shame" article". *iPetitions*. 2009-03-08. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Elizabeth Smith MSP wishes to sit this one out"](http://www.bloggerheads.com/archives/2009/03/elizabeth_smith_msp.asp). *Bloggerheads*. 2009-03-13. Retrieved 2009-03-19. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Dunblane: We're Sorry"](http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/90417). Sunday Express. 2009-03-21. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Luft, Oliver (2009-03-23). ["Scottish Sunday Express apologises for Dunblane survivors story"](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/mar/23/scottish-sunday-express-dunblane-apology). *The Guardian*. London. Retrieved 2010-05-24. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Express' Dunblane apology"](http://www.journal-online.co.uk/article/5655-express-dunblane-apology). Edinburgh Journal. 2009-03-23. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Apology noted. Now what?"](https://whythatsdelightful.wordpress.com/2009/03/24/apology-noted-now-what/). *Why, That's Delightful! (Graham Linehan's blog)*. 2009-03-24. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["Ms Mullan, Mr Weir & Ms Campbell"](http://www.pcc.org.uk/cases/adjudicated.html?article=NTc5Mw). *Press Complaints Commission*. Retrieved 25 January 2011. v t e Express newspapers Daily Express editors 1900: Arthur Pearson 1901: Fletcher Robinson 1909: R. D. Blumenfeld 1929: Beverley Baxter 1933: Arthur Christiansen 1957: Edward Pickering 1961: Bob Edwards 1962: Roger Wood 1963: Bob Edwards 1965: Derek Marks 1971: Ian McColl 1974: Alastair Burnet 1976: Roy Wright 1977: Derek Jameson 1980: Arthur Firth 1981: Christopher Ward 1983: Larry Lamb 1986: Nicholas Lloyd 1995: Richard Addis 1998: Rosie Boycott 2001: Chris Williams 2003: Peter Hill 2011: Hugh Whittow 2018: Gary Jones Sunday Express editors 1920: James Douglas 1928: James Douglas and John Gordon 1931: John Gordon 1952: Harold Keeble 1954: John Junor 1986: Robin Esser 1989: Robin Morgan 1991: Eve Pollard 1994: Brian Hitchen 1995: Sue Douglas 1996: Richard Addis 1998: Amanda Platell 1999: Michael Pilgrim 2001: Martin Townsend 2018: Michael Booker Other topics Daily Express Building, London Daily Express Building, Manchester James Bond comic strip Northern & Shell Richard Desmond Rupert Bear Sunday Express Dunblane controversy The Sunday Express Book of the Year --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sunday Express Dunblane controversy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_Express_Dunblane_controversy) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_Express_Dunblane_controversy?action=history)). 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