Pawns in the game: The Sun has form for putting words in people’s mouths (whether they agree to it or not)

The point when your newspaper outflanks Nadine Dorries is arguably a good one to pause for reflection. Opinion appears to be crystallising around the view that The Sun newspaper’s coverage of the prime minister’s so-called “insulting” letter of condolence to the family of a soldier killed in Afghanistan has rather less to do with that conflict and ‘our boys’ than, in the words of The Independent, “a vicious and unfair personal attack”. Next Left has a rundown of coverage on the blogs and the media – even The Sun’s former political editor has reservations.

This whole debacle reminds Scrapbook that The Sun has form for putting words in people’s mouths whether they like it or not. Media lecturer John Tulloch was astonished to see his bloodied face alongside a supposed quotation of support for new anti-terror legislation.

“It’s incredibly ironic that the Sun’s rhetoric is as the voice of the people yet they don’t actually ask the people involved, the victims, what they think” – 7/7 victim John Tulloch

The newspaper has already pointed to the fact that they were approached by the bereaved mother, rather than the other way around. But this doesn’t change the fact that they are using this woman’s grief as cover to pursue a vendetta against Gordon Brown in the most crass and tasteless way possible.

Nice headlines, shame about the truth.