George Clooney Rejects Daily Mail's Apology, Says Tabloid Printed 'Premeditated Lie'

Boy, did the Daily Mail mess with the wrong celebrity. Earlier this week, the Daily Mail printed a story about  George Clooney's fiancé Amal Alamuddin's mother  objecting  to the couple's marriage  on the grounds of religious beliefs. After Clooney publicly denounced the article in an op-ed for USA Today, the Mail pulled said story from their site and issued an apology to the actor, saying their story was "not a fabrication." But  Clooney is having none of that , and refusing to accept the Mail's apology.

In a second op-ed published in USA Today July 11, Clooney presses harder and calls the Mail's apology into question after they mix up their supposedly reliable sources. "Either they were lying originally or they're lying now," Clooney writes, adding: "There is one constant when a person or company is caught doing something wrong. The coverup is always worse."

"They knew ahead of time that they were lying," Clooney writes, delving into details of the Mail's mishap. "The Mail knew the story in question was false and printed it anyway. What separates this from all of the ridiculous things the Mail makes up is that now, by their own admission, it can be proved to be a lie. In fact, a premeditated lie."

He goes on to chide the Mail, calling it "the worst kind of tabloid."

Over at The Guardian, Clooney is hailed for his bravery in standing up to the British media behemoth:  "Clooney is using his own power  and clout to redefine the damaged dynamic that has existed since the days of gossip-columnist hatchet-jobs in old Hollywood," writes Ryan Gilbey. "Unlike other celebrities who have complained about the tabloids, it is not the attention itself Clooney resents but its fraudulent basis. His objections revolve less around a defense of A-listers than regret over the decline in journalistic standards."


There is one constant when a person or company is caught doing something wrong. The coverup is always worse.

In this case, the Daily Mail has printed an apology for insinuating religious tensions where there are none. In the apology, managing editor Charles Garside claims that the article was "not a fabrication," but "based the story on conversations with senior members of the Lebanese community."

The problem is that none of that is true. The original story never cites that source, but instead goes out of its way to insist on four different occasions that "a family friend" spoke directly to the Mail. A " family friend" was the source. So either they were lying originally or they're lying now.

Furthermore, they knew ahead of time that they were lying. In an article dated April 28, 2014, reporter Richard Spillett writes in the Mail that "Ramzi, (Amal's father), married outside the Druze faith," and a family friend said that "Baria, (Amal's mom), is not Druze." The Mail knew the story in question was false and printed it anyway.

Original column: Clooney responds to 'Daily Mail' report

/2014/07/09/What separates this from all of the ridiculous things the Mail makes up is that now, by their own admission, it can be proved to be a lie. In fact, a premeditated lie.

So I thank the Mail for its apology. Not that I would ever accept it, but because in doing so they've exposed themselves as the worst kind of tabloid.

One that makes up its facts to the detriment of its readers and to all the publications that blindly reprint them.

— George Clooney