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Daily Mail respond to My Chemical Romance emo marchers

Newspaper insist their coverage is 'balanced' and 'restrained'

The Daily Mail have issued a statement this afternoon (May 31) responding to a planned protest by My Chemical Romance fans against the paper's coverage of emo.

Following the suicide of Hannah Bond, a fan of the band and comments from the coroner at her inquest about the genre's influence in her death, the British newspaper have published several articles about emo including one which claimed that "no child is safe from the sinister cult of emo".

However the paper has insisted that their coverage has been restrained, balanced and is in the public interest.

"The Daily Mail’s coverage of the 'Emo' movement has been balanced, restrained and above all, in the public interest. Genuine concerns were raised at the inquest earlier this month on 13 year old emo follower Hannah Bond who had been self-harming and then tragically killed herself," they explained in the statement.

"In common with other newspapers we ran an accurate news story recording the Coroner's remarks and the parents' comments. We also published two other articles, one of which explained the background to the Hannah tragedy in calm and un-sensational language.

"The other was a first person opinion piece by a well-known writer, written from the perspective of a mother concerned for her children. We have also run two prominent page lead letters from an emo music fan and from a fan of My Chemical Romance defending their point of view.

"Our music critic admires the music of the band and publicised the band’s UK tour last year. Since this protest was announced a great deal of misinformation has appeared on the internet, much of which confuses what the Daily Mail has actually published with the comments of website readers and 'blogs' over which we have no control and which have stirred up emotions."

They added: "We note it has been pointed out by others that all this provides wonderful publicity for Warners and their impending release of My Chemical Romance's latest album.

"The Daily Mail is a broad church and is always ready to listen to the views of readers. We do, however, suggest those who want to protest or comment read everything we have published and act on fact not rumour."

NME.COM will have coverage of today's protest.

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Comments (30)

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mozzle

May 31, 2008

I hate the daily mail. Just because they dress in black. It's their style, image, and I'm fed up of people saying teenagers are easily influenced by it, we're not stupid for Christ's sake. No offence to that girl's family but it takes a whole lot more than music to make you want to kill yourself. I have a feeling that even if you took the music away, there would still be some underlying problems. Anyway, the Black Parade has a positive message about death and how you shouldn't be afraid to live your life with pride. Since when did some overpaid journalists know about music. Personally, I'm not emo, but when someone sees MCR on my iPod they all say I am, but the stereotyping needs to stop. Now.

tintedwindows

May 31, 2008

oh well, the protest lasted about 2 hours and about 30 people turned up (40 if you include the parents)they were quite nice but the police put them across the road outside Gap and alot of passers by thought they were protesting for fair trade clothing.hahaha

ionervos

May 31, 2008

yeah... unfortunately, most of us HAVE read what the daily mail published about emo and MCR. so there's no way they can fool us with this statement or with "Our music critic admires the music of the band and publicized the bandâ€™s UK tour last year." pathetic answer to the fans protesting against the bigotry of the DM.

m0gsia

May 31, 2008

I'm finding it hard to decide what i hate more , MCR or the daily mail. Somebody help me! Chris

nickthedudeis

May 31, 2008

I personally hate the emo cult because i think there is something rather sad about all these people being like i hate the world etc however, can no one see that what the daily mail is saying is just the rediculous people who have a tendency to commit suicide will always have that same tendency it may be enhanced by the emo music but surely anything could enhance it such as bullying there are far greater issues for newspapers to report and for goverments and households to tackle than Emo'ism why not write an article on the millions dying every day in an unknown and unpublished conflict because the west is not affected report real news and stop pointing the finger at a sad and rubbish but inocent group of people

Watto2008

May 31, 2008

Ha! The Daily Mail practising "balanced, restrained" journalism? If that's true, I'm a Dutchman.How anyone could trust a single thing the Daily Hate Mail comes out with is beyond me. I personally would not wipe my arse with the Daily Mail.

blackiethelib

May 31, 2008

The day the daily mail publish an article "in calm and un-sensational language" will be a memorable one.The DAily Mail clearly has tried to inflame this for no reason apart from to get readers and grip readers in a state of paranoia so they can influence them more (trying not to sound like Matt Bellamy here ha)Plus its abit racist, which is inexcusable, I don't like MCR but its great the fans have taken this stand! Next up Kele Okereke will be leading an anit daily protest!.. hmm, just can't see it... yet.

DreamTheaterAreTheWin

May 31, 2008

Are you some kind of super moron? I actually went out of my way to read these articles, they're fine. They where restrained, balance is imposible in articles regarding opinion (letters from people, balance? lolololololol)Look, emos need slapping round the face and perhaps this will be the slap you need? Everyone is unique, that tiny amount of difference in DNA that makes us who we are has effected our brains, we think differently to the rest of us, just because you don't personnaly feel effected by music whats that to say that someone else isn't? Some people are audio-programmed as I like to call it.The fact is the age of 13, especially in females, is a very turbulant time, perhaps everything leading up to this point was influencing her, but MCR was the final push over the edge? I believe it could be.Different things influence different people, I myself am influenced by music, but despise the genre in which MCR are located in. For the record I think they're one of the examples of why teenagers are so wrecked at the moment, don't get me wrong rap is just as bad. But, people who listen to these genres deserve respect for doing so, we all have different tastes. :).With lyrics like those seen in MCR songs, and the Juxta Position used in their songs, you really think they can have nothing to do with influencing suicide? Get real, seriously.

ionervos

May 31, 2008

oh, look, another bigot. DreamTheaterWhatever, you talk about how different we all are but you do not tolerate those different from you. MCR have millions of fans, I haven't heard of millions of suicides... so get real, seriously. and let me tell you something about turbulent age - it lasts until late 30s for men.

shaunyeah

Jun 1, 2008

really, theres nothing wrong with my chemical romance, people who listen to them are completely mentally stable, so what if they have no social skills and all their 'friends' live in cyberspace. the daily mail lies, we live in a perfect world and people die because they turn into butterflies and live forever.Im sorry but the daily mail is the only newspaper that doesnt try to please the public, does what they write offend you? does it worry you? sorry but we dont live in a perfect world and the daily mail shows us that. maybe my chemical romance havnt lead this girl to kill herself, but being depressed an suicidal certainly seems to be something that is assosiated with emo's, coinsidence? according to most people yes, realistically, i doubt it.

WomblesBleed

Jun 1, 2008

You're emo because you wanna be different, who cares if the daily mail doesn't 'understand you', no wonder only 40 turned up.If you're gonna protest the mail cannot it not be for their homophobic and racist and anti-immigration columns. Jesus get some perspective.

sn0wwh1te

Jun 1, 2008

It seems to me that the Daily Mail don't actually have a clue what "balanced" and "restrained" mean. Is it "restrained" to make statements that "no child is safe from the sinister cult of emo"? It's statements like those that cause moral panics and let's be honest in 21st century Britain, where there are real issues such as racial hatred and knife and gun crime, do we really need some journalist causing more worries for parents about something that is simply not true!Hannah Bond's death is a tragedy, I'm not going to deny that but I think it needs to be questioned whether MCR and emo were what CAUSED her to commit suicide or whether it was a mere COINCIDENCE that she was a fan of emo and MCR... has it been considered that there was more going on in her life than her being an emo?Why don't the Daily Mail try supporting efforts to help people who have problems with self harm and depression rather than labelling them as part of a dangerous "cult" and issuing warnings to scare parents of teenagers who happen appreciate good music.

UnleashTheBats

Jun 1, 2008

Hmm "publicity"... are they insinuating that the band and its record label actually consider the suicide of a girl a good thing?Just shows how wrong they are about pretty much everything. And its a DVD thats coming out by the way, its not an album full of new tracks needing to be promoted....

tom00

Jun 1, 2008

of all the things people can complain about the daily mail.... emo stuff who gives a shit if they were protesting about how the daily mail potrayed immagrants then they might have my backing

audiojunkies

Jun 1, 2008

We were there and I have to say that the 'emo kids' were really really nice. I have a new found respect for them:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0KyyAIxZo8a trailer for emo: the movie

Jadith1

Jun 1, 2008

I thought that seen as I went today I'd comment on here and just give some more details.By Marble Arch, there was about 200 people there in total for the majority of the day. 25 went to the Daily Mail (in order to keep it a peaceful protest) including myself and another group were just arriving as we were, so around 40?We kept to the promise of it being peaceful and plenty of press showed up, both to Marble Arch and outside the Daily Mail and practically everyone got a chance to be interviewed by someone either about the 'emo' stereotype or about MCR themselves.It was actually good to listen to so many people doing something for the same reason, for loving mcr, the music they make and the message they send across: Which most people will understand is completely anti-suicide!I heard repeatidly throughout the day of how MCR saved these kids lives and others were just plain pissed off at being accused of being in some weird 'death cult'.. Overall it was an awesome day and well worth it.=]

suze111

Jun 1, 2008

Who are The Daily Mail trying to kid???I have read all the articles they posted about emo and My Chemical Romance.. none of them are 'balanced' or 'restrained'!They are over exadurated and in alot of casse.. flat out lies.Come on.. do they really take people to be so stupid.. even after they have read the articles?I guess people who are not MCR fans wouldn't think anything of it.. because they dont know any better, this is why the fans are doing this protest, to show the general public that the articles were wrong!

Bitchy McNasty

Jun 1, 2008

MCR will be fine. The same thing has happened to both Ozzy and Judas Priest in the past, and nothing ever came of it. Let the emo kids be themselves.

Nolly93

Jun 1, 2008

ive just got one thing to say on this , these people are all middleaged wankers ... they don't know anything about how we think or how our subcultures work... i'm not emo .. but what ur sayin about emo is bullshit.leave us teenagers to do what us teenagers do.& i really think it takes more than music for someone to kill themselveshannah rip.Louise x

ryancoster411

Jun 1, 2008

It is a problem far too large for modern day adults to comprehend. The subculture 'EMO' is far too overpowering to them. They think they need to blame everything on four things. Music. Movies. Video Games. And Famous People. Little psychology lesson parents, doctors, critics, and every other sub-culture who thinks another sub-culture is hurting people. A childs mindset of acts and behaviors is predefined by the lifestyle they grow up in. By the age of eight (8), a childs mind has developed into the way that person will live and who they will be. Stop blaming everyone else and start taking some responsibility for YOUR actions. It might not all be your fault. But the MAJORITY of PROBLEMS come right from YOUR HOME. So please, Stop whining and crying over something your daughter did. It was not a sub-culture ritual, nor was it a cult. It was simply bad parenting. Don't want your kid to be what you call an 'EMO,' then don't let them. Grow up, start involving yourself in their lives. THEN, and ONLY THEN, MIGHT you be able to SLIGHTLY THINK YOU UNDERSTAND US. So three points, 1. Don't blame others. 2. Involve Yourself. 3. Learn about sub-cultures before you judge them.Thanks for reading-Ryan

MCRandwindowblinds

Jun 1, 2008

The Daily Mail rather reminds me of the Daily PRophet from Harry Potter. They say things to sway readers away from something, then act like they didn't so anything at all. Maybe this is where JKR got her idea for the Daily Prophet.I'm a huge My Chemical Romance fan and I hope this whole thing blows over and doesn't cause any more problems for the guys.

missionverdana

Jun 1, 2008

Most of the people denouncing the Daily Mail probably never read it anyway. Yes, they portrayed emo in a bizarre way, but they did publish letters from fans defending emo. They are talking rubbish when they say "balanced" and "restrained" though, the piece Tom Rawstrone wrote was pretty ridiculous. People are implying that all the Daily Mail does is denounce emo, when this is not the case. A few articles appeared in the paper in response to the Hannah Bond tragedy, but the coverage was not excessive. I agree that the Mail should not use My Chemical Romance as a scapegoat, but it seems that they were just building on what the coroner said. The Daily Mail is not completely to blame for the misinterpretation of emo. People who are dismissing it as rubbish because of this whole MCR fiasco should note that it is one of the best selling newspapers in the country for a reason (and it's not the free DVDs).

adanacandy

Jun 1, 2008

"no child is safe from the sinister cult of emo" sounds perfectly restrained and balanced to me... now leave the Daily Mail alone so it can go about its business of reporting - you know, Elvis sightings, and how waking up on days that end in 'y' can be deadly to one's health. MCR needs the Daily Mail's help to sell albums? More like the Daily Mail is selling papers on the backs of MCR. Daily Mail - you have no credibility... at all. Andy from Edmonton

jeniscool639

Jun 1, 2008

i understand that the parents and the public may be concerned about the reason of Hannah Bond's suicide, but blaming it on "emo" is ridiculous. I think that it is very hard to place blame for a tradedy like this, because the only person who knows the reason is now dead. I have selfharmed for 2 years and my parents at first thought it was my chemical romance having an impact on me, but after i explained everything they understood that it was because of personal reasons. I dont think anyone should be blamed for the suicide, but everyone should mourn her death.

squinge

Jun 2, 2008

Now i dont like mcr personally.but i think its ridiculous that emo is being pinpointed as a cult for suicide.What about the hip hop scene,guns drugs etc.... saying that no child is safe from this sinister cult is so out of line!! everyone who reads this will think anyone wearing a black hoodie is out to get their child and steal their soul.I know plenty of 'emos' hate that name by the way,and they are all happy well rounded people with ideas and dreams and goals.Im sure there are people who have committed suicide who dont listen to 'emo'.Where is their headline story??the fact is that no matter how hard you try you cannot point the finger at music because it is always down to the individual and how they feel. there is just no reason to use any kind of music as a scapegoat to try and explain away why these people are unhappy

OH-LIVIA

Jun 7, 2008

The Daily Mail?More like The Daily Faschist?Quite honestly, I've never read ANYTHING in that excuse for a newspaper which was "balanced" OR "restrained".What bullshit.

MCR_FOREVER

Jun 9, 2008

I used to read the daily mail... until this shitThey are the ones who have gone on rumour, not factThey just found something that Hannah Bond (rip) loved and used it as the excuse for her death, they have probably never listenend to MCR themselves, and know nothing about their music .

MyChemFreak246

Jun 14, 2008

I agree with everyone else here too. F*** the Daily Mail! I watched this video on youtube with Frank and Gerard and Gerard said that the main reason why they dress like emo's is because if they don't then they'll get turned away because they don't look the part like all the other emo bands. I mean, what the f*** do they want? Force them into little black outfits so they can write a whole sh*tty article about how they're emo? This is bullsh*t!

---Blossom---

Jun 24, 2008

"Act on fact not rumour", I think everyone made it pretty much obvious that the march was because the Daily Mail represented My Chemical Romance and the emo genre in an unfair, and generally ridiculous way, causing them to be at the heart of unnecessary scaremongering among parents. Was this a rumour?! No, there is plently, PLENTY of evidence in the article, which i got no further than the first few lines before becoming enraged at the FACT that they used my chemical romance as a scapegoat for the reasons of Hannah Bond's suicide. Yes, it's tragic, yes, there must have been some reason for it, but no, i doubt it was one of the musical artists that she loved and adored for all of her days alive as an aparent fan. If all 'emotional music' (which is pretty much all music anyway) was banned then where would anyone turn to when they want to listen to something that reflects their mood and indulges it, in order to overcome it. I think it has been made pretty much publiv knowledge now that the daily mail are nearing incompetance when it comes to understanding and representing styles in fashion and music, adopting a traditional phobia in all things new and exciting to many. Furthermore, I'm sure 'chavs' commit suicide too. Is this not encouraged by 50cent boasting about his numerous gunshot injuries etc?! No, probably not, but i wish the daily mail would give 'emo' a break!The outraged fans did that march based on the FACT that the daily mail has abused their position of responsibility in order to create gossip inducing storyline, upsetting many that My Chemical Romance have actually proven to be the reason why they turned away from the suicide option.Rant just about over!

charleybee101

Nov 2, 2009

Well, firstly, clearly the daily mail was not being balanced, did they even talk to any emo kids? Emo is a style of music, thats it, it doesnt make you want to kill yourself, infact often emo music and poetry is an outlet for emotions, Hannah clearly had a lot of problems that perhaps caused her to become 'emo', but she didnt become emo and then decide to kill herself, emo isnt a trend, and it certainly does not make you kill yourself