2. PIERS MORGAN
Piers Morgan is a British Journalist, television host and former television talent
show judge. He has worked within the media industry since 1985 and has made
himself a very popular figure.
Piers Stefan O'Meara was born on 30 March 1965 in Newick, East Sussex,
England, to Vincent Eamonn O'Meara, an Irish-born dentist, originally from County
Offaly, and Gabrielle Georgina Sybille.
Piers lost his father a year after he was born and his mother later remarried where
the name Morgan came from. Piers used his step fathers name.
Piers studied journalism at Harlow College before joining the Surrey and South
London Newspaper Group in 1985. He did so well working as a reporter there that
he got scouted to work for The Sun newspaper and be placed on the ‘Bizarre’
column.
Piers then started to work his way up and found himself as the editor of the show
business column at the Sun. He left the sun after he was headhunted by Rupert
Murdoch in order to be editor of the News of the World in January
1994 and two years later he was headhunted to edit The Mirror (Where he started
to become a popular figure)
3. It was at the Daily Mirror where Piers was forced to apologise on a number of occasions. In 2000, Morgan was the
subject of an investigation after Suzy Jagger wrote a story in The Daily Telegraph revealing that he had bought
£20,000 worth of shares in the computer company Viglen soon before the Mirror 's "City Slickers" column tipped
Viglen as a good buy.
Morgan was found by the Press Complaints Commission to have breached the Code of Conduct on financial
journalism, but kept his job.
The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) was a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and
magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC closed on Monday 8 September 2014,
and was replaced by the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
In 2012, Piers spoke out about it. "I could see immediately the PR problem of me buying shares the day before
they doubled. I woke up. I saw all the papers… They said that I was a scoundrel, blah, blah, blah. I realised then
that it was going to be quite a long day.”
From this it was clear that Piers did not take it that seriously, however the codes were not followed and The "City
Slickers" columnists, Anil Bhoyrul and James Hipwell, were both found to have committed further breaches of the
Code and were sacked before the inquiry concluded.
Morgan was then later sacked in 2004 for a separate incident where he refused to apologise to Sly Bailey, head of
Trinity Mirror for authorising the newspaper's publication of photographs which had been shown to be false
These were alleged to show Iraqi prisoners being abused by British Army soldiers from the Queen's Lancashire
Regiment. Within days the photographs were shown to be crude fakes.
The telegraph and various newspapers ran the story of Piers getting sacked. (Next Slide)
Information taken and adapted from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piers_Morgan
http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2012/jun/13/piersmorgan-daily-mirror
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1461904/Mirror-editor-sacked-over-fake-photos-of-torture.html
4. Former newspaper editor Andrew Neil said that time had been
running out for Mr. Morgan "for a long time", although he was not
surprised that it had taken so long for him to be sacked, as he knew
everything there is, was and will be to know.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1461904/Mirror-editor-sacked-over-fake-photos-of-
torture.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3716151.stm
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/may/14/pressandpublishing.iraqandthemedia
Tags: Piers Morgan, Hoax, Sacked, Fake images, Twitter, Justice, 2004, Sorry, ego, life.
War, shock.
Asked what the atmosphere in the newsroom
was, one reporter said: "shock, disbelief".
One insider said: "The government yet again have
got their scalp and we went to war on a lie.
There is a sense of a great misjustice here
tonight.”
"It is time that the ego of one editor is measured
against the life of a soldier," said Colonel David
Black.
"The Daily Mirror published in good faith
photographs which it absolutely believed were
genuine images of British soldiers abusing an
Iraqi prisoner,"
(Trinity Mirror said in a statement)
In Summary, Piers Morgan was relieved of his
duties by the Daily Mirror in 2004 as he released
what was later seen as fake imagery concerning
the abuse of an Iraqi soldier.
He has still to this day denied any wrong doing
and chose social media to express his opinion.
"It is a tragedy. Although not everyone was behind him on this story,
everyone was 100% behind Piers. He has been treated appallingly
after eight and a half years.” Chief executive Sly Bailey (Source: The
Guardian)
5. In summary this selection of articles relate to Piers
Morgan moving to America, working for CNN and
eventually leaving like he did from the Daily Mirror.
On the next slide there are many quotes from Piers
and others surrounding their views on the topics he
has covered.
Morgan has been known to have a very strong
opinion on guns and this can be seen through his
book ‘Shooting Straight’. This strong, aggressive and
forceful approach to it is what may be part of the
reason to leaving the show.
The majority of the American public did not agree
with his views and therefore did not watch CNN
which led to bad ratings and again, the fall of Piers
Morgan.
6. ‘What happens here (in the US) affects me, my life and that of my family,’ he told BBC's
Newsnight last night.
‘The guns issue here is now so dangerous and out of control that something has to give.
'The reaction of the gun lobby was to say more guns, less crime - arm everybody, (and) so this
spiraling descent into gun madness continues. I do find it stupid and I do find it dangerous’.
‘It's very simple. It's not about banning all their guns or attacking the Second Amendment.
It's a very specific campaign to take these military-style assault weapons off the streets’
'Let’s not let arguments over the Constitution’s Second Amendment violate the spirit of its
First,' Jay Carney said. ‘President Obama believes that the Second Amendment guarantees
an individual right to bear arms. (Quotes from Daily Mail)
Piers Morgan is not liked within the media due to being strongly opinionated, rude and his link
to the phone hacking scandal. This was seen when the news spread to social media about his
firing from CNN.
Jeremy Clarkson (An English broadcaster, journalist and writer) found the humour in
Morgan’s sacking due to a feud that happened back when Piers was in England.
The Guardian said the Clarkson row started in 2000 when the Mirror obtained some
paparazzi photographs of Clarkson kissing a woman who wasn't his wife. Morgan rang
Clarkson for a comment and Clarkson begged him not to run the pictures, then said: 'Look,
Piers, I'm going to tell you something now. I'm not capable of having an affair.
You can ask my wife. I'm not physically capable.' Morgan claims that he was so moved by this
plea, he went softer on the story than he'd normally have done.
But then two years later Clarkson was seen kissing the same woman again, and Morgan
ran the story hard. Clarkson then punched him at the 2004 Press Awards in front of an
admiring audience of journalists who were all rather disappointed that Morgan didn't hit
back; his revenge came a few months later when he put Clarkson's 'not physically capable'
quote in his book.
“Look, I am a British guy debating American
cultural issues, including guns, which has been
very polarizing," he told the Times, "and there is no
doubt that there are many in the audience who are
tired of me banging on about it.”
“If only I didn't care so passionately about guns,
perhaps I wouldn't have chased away a grand
American audience.”
"The gun lobby in America has bullied this
country's politicians into a cowardly silence," he
hectored, one last time. "My point is simple: more
guns doesn't mean less crime, as the NRA
repeatedly tries to tell you.”
“I was just too honest” to explain his show's failure.
(Quotes taken from The Guardian)
"It’s been a painful period and lately we have
taken a bath in the ratings,"
(Morgan told the New York Times on Sunday)
“It is sad that Piers is trying to find a new job by
misrepresenting how he performed in his old
one.”
(CNN Spokeswoman Megan Rivers)
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/mar/02/piers-morgan-cnn-viewing-figures
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/mar/29/piers-morgan-gun-control-cnn-final-episode
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/oct/09/cnn-calls-piers-morgan-sad-anderson-cooper
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/its-official-cnn-hires-piers-morgan_b23321
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/jun/14/piers-morgan-cnn-chatshow-deal
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?p=2&t=223418
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/piers-morgan-sacked-from-cnn-twitter-rejoices-as-its-biggest-alist-troll-gets-the-axe-9151961.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2259938/Gun-debate-Piers-Morgan-uses-BBC-Newsnight-interview-slam-calls-firearms.html
Tags: BBC, the guardian, daily mail, guns, 2010, 2014,2004,
Piers Morgan,
CNN, NRA, Ratings, America, Jeremy Clarkson
7. In the previous slides information was gathered on the job roles Piers Morgan participated in and newspaper articles that take a look in much greater
detail to what he has or has not done. Morgan is known as having a very strong opinion and this can be seen through the books he has written.
Piers Morgan, Don’t You Know Who I AM? Was published in 2007.
Description: Sacked from his high-profile job as a national newspaper editor, Piers
Morgan had two options: sink or swim. So he got paddling. Lacking any better
ideas, he chose to dive headlong into the world of a celebrity.
This was the seventh book out of ten for Morgan and this explained his views in
contrary to reports in the media about certain aspects that he has been criticised
on.
http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Don_t_You_Know_who_I_Am.html?id=ToG0AAAACAAJ&redir_
esc=y
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Insider:_The_Private_Diaries_of_a_Scandalous_Decade
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/the-insider-the-private-diaries-of-a-
scandalous-decade-by-piers-morgan-6150946.html
To summarise , this book as well the Wikipedia information gathered on the
initial pages provide factual information on Piers Morgan and give you his
opinions rather than a selection of newspaper articles.
Having an artefact such as a book is good to compare with the information form
the media.
"Reading this book really is like peering into Morgan's head. But it's
a fascinating head - its contents are clever and silly, sharp and
gullible, occasionally incredibly funny. I'd say he has another
bestseller on his hands." (India Knight, Sunday Times)
"Every page is gold" (Heat)”
A typically ribald account of life both making the news and reporting
it, as wildly implausible and riotously entertaining as the man
himself” (GQ)
Tags: Piers Morgan, 2007, Fascinating, another bestseller, Seventh, Sunday
Times, GQ, Daily Telegraph, Observer, Heat, sequel, memoirs.
"He is a very funny writer” (Lynn Barber Daily Telegraph)
"Enjoyably revelatory and very good fun" (Observer)
This is Piers Morgan's sequel to his first set of memoirs 'The
Insider'.
The Insider: The Private Diaries of a Scandalous Decade is a
book written in diary form by Piers Morgan documenting his
time as editor of the News of the World and Daily Mirror. It
was serialised by the Daily Mail.
The Insider was well received by
critics as well. Sam Leith of the
The Spectator called the stories
"funny as hell and as morally
discriminating as a rutting
polecat”
Andy McSmith called it
"grippingly readable” while
Andrew Anthony of the Observer
said it was "cheerfully vitriolic”
8. Piers Morgan On... is a British television travelogue programme presented by journalist Piers Morgan, broadcast on ITV in
the United Kingdom. This show has been running since 2008 and he has visited Dubai, Monte Carlo, Hollywood, Las Vegas,
Marbella and Shanghai.
When looking at Piers Morgan and his trip to Dubai it is clear that he wants to show the viewer a different culture and try to
understand other peoples beliefs. This idea of everyone having a different opinion is demonstrated in the news artifacts
gathered on previous slides and the quotes selected from them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ahdfA_DJ-0A#t=0
In summary, Piers Morgan took a look around some of the extraordinary developments in the city, meeting people of wealth
and influence along the way. He also looked at the party lifestyle of the ex-pats who co-exist in relative harmony – most of the
time – with Dubai’s Muslim culture.
‘One of the most interesting parts of the show for me was looking at the lifestyles of the rich and the famous at Palm Jumeirah
which is a lavish housing development on an island shaped like a palm tree that can be seen from space! David Beckham,
Ashley Cole and Michael Owen own properties there and a Palm address is seen as the ultimate status symbol’ Reviewed by
Lynn Connolly. http://primetime.unrealitytv.co.uk/piers-morgan-on-dubai-–-review/
Views on the show- ‘I really enjoyed watching this documentary. Because of the nature of documentary, what's shown is real.
Despite the luxurious aspects of Dubai living, the documentary also shows some "secrets" and a very different part of Dubai
culture. For example, laws that non-Muslim countries would understand. I really like how Piers Morgan describes the
immigrants' "Dubai Dream", which appears to be comparable to the old "American Dream". However, unlike most American
immigrants, many immigrants in Dubai are millionaires or billionaires. The clever Dubai people hype up tourism as hard as
they can because they know oil will quickly run out in the near future’ -Lin Wenxin
(https://bu.digication.com/lin_wenxin_megan_hf100/movie2)
Tags: ITV, 2008, Dubai, culture, lifestyle, rich, developments.
9. Piers Morgan on was not the only documentary he has taken part in. In 2007 Morgan was a judge on Britain's got
talent, a year after he had taken part in the American version of the show. In January 2008, Morgan fronted a
three-part documentary about Sandbanks for ITV1 entitled Piers Morgan on Sandbanks.
Sandbanks is a small peninsula crossing the mouth of Poole Harbour on the English Channel coast at Poole in
Dorset, England.
In May 2008, Morgan signed a two-year "golden handcuffs" deal with ITV reportedly worth £2 million per year. As
part of the deal, Morgan would continue as a judge on Britain's Got Talent for at least two more series and front a
new chat show.
He also made some interview specials, plus three more documentaries from various countries. Morgan's golden
handcuffs deal was the first signing by ITV's new director of television, Peter Fincham.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, ‘’Golden Handcuffs’’ is something that benefits, typically deferred payments,
provided by an employer to discourage an employee from taking employment elsewhere.
It was 2009 where Piers Morgan returned to ITV and started ‘Piers Morgan on’ This was followed by ‘Piers
Morgan’s Life stories’. Life stories is recorded in front of a studio audience, each programme is devoted to one
celebrity guest.
Life stories has span across 12 series and reached 72 episodes. From 2011 Morgan taped all of the episodes in
advance before the start of a series owing to his (now former) commitment to the U.S. CNN channel.
‘A leading politician appears on television and is quizzed about his premarital sex life, his post-marital adultery and
his history of eating disorders. His answers are greeted by indulgent chuckles from the studio audience, while the
camera shows us repeated close-ups of his wife beaming proudly. Twenty years ago, such a programme – if it had
been made at all – would have had the nation transfixed with horror, outrage or excitement’ –James Walton, The
Telegraph’s review on the John Prescott episode of the show.
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/golden-handcuffs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_handcuffs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piers_Morgan's_Life_Stories
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8513144/Piers-Morgans-Life-Stories-ITV1-review.html
Tags: Documentary, Sandbanks, Golden
Handcuffs, Life Stories, Taped,
Transfixed, 2011, 2008, 2007, 12 series.
10. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16259941
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/video-from-2003-shows-piers-morgan-talking-about-phone-hacking-8364468.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/10638562/Piers-Morgan-questioned-by-police-over-phone-hacking.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8649135/Phone-hacking-Piers-Morgan-in-on-air-hacking-row-with-Louise-Mensch.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_International_phone_hacking_scandal
Piers Morgan and the Phone hacking allegations
"I have no reason... to believe it was going on.” (BBC Article)
Morgan said: “When [mobile phones] first came out journalists
found out that if a celebrity hadn’t changed their pin code…”
Church interrupts: “Yeah, that you can access their voicemails.”
He said: “You can access their voicemails by typing in a number.
Now, are you really telling me that journalists aren’t going to do
that? If they know that they can ring up Charlotte Church’s
mobile phone, listen to all her messages?” (Independent Article)
“In early November I was asked to attend an interview by officers
from Operation Weeting when I was next in the UK. (Telegraph
Article on Morgan being questioned by the Police)
The MP for Corby claimed during a culture, media and
sport select committee hearing earlier on Tuesday that
Mr. Morgan had admitted to phone hacking and had
even bragged that it won him an award.
To back this up, however, she misquoted an entry from
'The Insider’ (Slide 7), the 2005 diaries of Mr. Morgan.
In that book he boasted that using that 'little trick'
enabled him to win scoop of the year on a story about
Sven Goran Eriksson. So there is a former editor of the
Daily Mirror being very open about his personal use of
phone hacking”.
In fact, Mr. Morgan referred to the “little trick” – alleged
to have been used by The News of the World to target
thousands of people – with regards to suspicions that his
own phone had been hacked.
“For the record, in my time at the News of the World and the
Mirror, I have never hacked a phone, told anyone to hack a
phone, or published any stories based on the hacking of a
phone".
The News International phone-hacking scandal is a
controversy involving the now defunct News of the World and
other British newspapers published by News International, a
subsidiary of the then News Corporation.
Employees of the newspaper were accused of engaging in
phone hacking, police bribery, and exercising improper
influence in the pursuit of stories.
11. Piers Morgan has been hired by the Daily Mail as an Editor following his dismissal by CNN and has already been making
the headlines. Morgan has been debating the use of the ‘N’ word by Black Americans.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/30001494
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/nov/11/piers-morgan-ignorant-ta-nehisi-coates-n-word
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2774910/MailOnline-hires-former-CNN-anchor-Piers-Morgan-Editor-At-Large-US.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2829080/PIERS-MORGAN-black-Americans-want-N-word-die-kill-themselves.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/piers-morgan-branded-a-racist-after-he-suggests-the-nword-should-be-eradicated-from-the-english-language-using-slave-metaphors-9853960.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2014/11/09/the-n-word-an-entrenched-racial-slur-now-more-prevalent-than-ever/ (It is from this where Morgan got his inspiration for the article about the ‘N’
word’s removal and for further information I could possibly look into this in much greater detail)
‘It’s such an inflammatory and offensive
word that for any high profile white person to
publicly use it, without abbreviating to ‘N-
word’, is rightly tantamount to professional
suicide and personal opprobrium’.
‘I don’t use it; would never use it. But it has
become astonishingly ubiquitous in modern
American society’.
‘We have to think about how this
word originated, where it came
from. Just because we stop
saying it won’t stop them (white
racists) from saying it’
‘They’re mad because they say
it’s a double standard if they
can’t say what we say amongst
each other? I don’t plan on
stopping saying it anytime soon’.
Mike Tyson who used the word
a lot in his autobiography.
‘Really fascinating to be abused so
much for suggesting the
removal of the world's most
abusive word’ Piers Morgan on his
Twitter account.
(Coates, a senior editor at the
Atlantic and a nonpareil voice
on race and racism in the
United States)
Coates jumped in after Morgan stoked
the embers of umbrage by tweeting: “Is it
what I wrote that offended, #BlackTwitter
– or the skin colour of the man who wrote
it? #NWord”.
“You are further evidencing your
deep ignorance. Black people have
been debating this among
themselves long before you.”
(Coates)
"y'all better thank @piersmorgan for
that simple, straightforward solution
to racism. Why didn't we think of
this???” A sarcastic response to
Morgan's article by John Legend the
Singer/Songwriter.
12. Piers Morgan has a huge following on Twitter and it is from this
social media site where he has most of his debates with fellow
celebrities and to interact with the public on his opinion.
"They're aware of its history; they know from their parents and
grandparents that arrogant, dumb, racist whites used it as a
wicked, derogatory insult against their black slave forebears.”
And they enjoy the freedom of being able to say it now in the
knowledge that it's become taboo for whites to do so.” Piers
went on to say in his article.
In summary, the selection of quotes and articles chosen on this
latest Piers Morgan opinion demonstrate that not everyone
shares his views and that it will take much more than black
Americans not saying to prevent it from being used.
Tags: November 2014, Daily Mail, CNN, ‘N Word’, Coates, John
Legend, Mike Tyson, A Dot, Twitter,
Many others hit back on Twitter including south London rapper A
Dot.
"In reality you do not have the authority, nor the social
experience to comment on the roots of an issue which far
exceeds your realm of middle class comprehension.” A Dot.
John Legend called it a "useless suggestion that completely
misses the real issue".
‘As a white man, I have no right to demand that any black person
gives up using the N-word.
But as someone who believes passionately in civil rights, I just
think it’s the right thing to do’ Morgan finishes his article with this.
This is an attempt to show that he is just
recommending the removal of the word rather than
ordering black Americans to stop saying it.
13. Morgan at #leveson : says listening to Paul McCartney's voicemail message wasn't
unethical, but won't expand to protect source”
(Ross Hawkins BBC correspondent)
Piers Morgan speaking via video link
"Not a single person has made a formal or legal complaint against the Daily
Mirror for phone hacking," he told the inquiry.
Mr. Morgan admitted hearing a recording of a message from the phone of Sir Paul
McCartney's former wife but would not say who had played it to him.
He said he was not "directly involved" in the use of private investigators.
Robert Jay QC, counsel to the inquiry, asked Mr. Morgan about the recording of a
voicemail message left by former Beatle Sir Paul for his then-wife Heather
Mills, when the couple were suffering marriage problems.
I can't discuss where that tape was played or who made- it would compromise a
source.”
When asked if it was unethical to listen to phone messages, Morgan said: "It
doesn't necessarily follow that listening to someone else talking to
someone else is unethical."
“All journalists knew they had to operate within the law. That was enshrined in
their contracts of employment” Morgan said.
I do feel still very proud of a lot of the very good stuff that both the Mirror and the
News of the World did during my tenure as editor” Piers Morgan
In summary, these comments by Morgan deny any wrong doing and he has since
been cleared of any charges that may have been given to him. The questioning
that took place by the police was the last time in the media that he was related to
the horrific phone hackings.
Tags: Phone Hacking, Piers Morgan, Louise Mensch, The Insider, 2005, little
trick, Charlotte Church, Heather Mills, News of the world, police, leveson.
14. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FWW23XD
https://www.surveymonkey.com/analyze/wwkEVgEvkYi0_2BtTmAj0ZsbwECbxW3vsnb5OkDpizK4I_3D
Many have signed the petition to get Piers Morgan deported from America. Are they right or wrong? Explain.
‘Wrong. He has rights to free speech as long as he is in America, and to deport him for exercising his rights to free speech
goes against everything America stands for’.
Do you feel Piers Morgan was treated unfairly by CNN and were the low ratings all his fault?
‘I don't know, but just because his ideas may not match the majority does not mean that he is wrong. majority public
opinion does not always mean it's right’.
Have you ever read, viewed or listened to anything Piers Morgan has taken part in? If so, what? and did you
agree with any of the points he made?
‘Yes, I agree on his stance as far as gun control and as well as the recently published N-Word article’
Chris from Birmingham, England agreed to completing the survey which provided the primary research with a range of
views. This was someone of a young age and again they had a great understanding on Piers Morgan.
Primary Research- Using SurveyMonkey to gather and collect opinions on Piers Morgan and find out what the public
think about him, rather than the media.
Nefes who lives in Indianapolis, Unites States agreed to complete the short survey. As Nefes was from America and
between the 26-40 age range it was a surprise on his views towards Piers Morgan as the most common view is seen that he
is not very popular due to his views.
Do you feel Piers Morgan was treated unfairly by CNN and were the low ratings all his fault?
‘I do, the only thing he was doing was being honest to the public. Something the Americans did not like. The low
ratings were down to his strong views though, yes’.
This response a good point about being honest, however putting a stereotype in about all Americans was
something that I did not agree with. As seen with Nefes there are a good portion of individuals that agree with
Piers on Gun crime in their country.
