STAMMA v Daily Mail: IPSO decision

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(Courtesy of Annie Spratt via Unsplash)

STAMMA is profoundly disappointed by IPSO’s decision not to uphold our complaint against the Daily Mail (see 'STAMMA complains over 'damaging' Daily Mail article').

By ruling that the mockery of a speech disability is acceptable under the guise of 'satire', the regulator has effectively green-lit the ridicule of the 1% of the population who stammer.

You can read our response here.

The Daily Mail's insistence that a stammer "unbalanced" a meeting and was a "pong of fish" is out of step with modern Britain. We need only look at the current series of the BBC's The Traitors, where Jessie, a contestant who stammers, won the hearts of millions.

The public embraced Jessie's voice exactly as it is, proving that the British people value authenticity and substance over fluent perfection. It is a damning indictment of our media landscape that while the public celebrates diverse voices, a national newspaper and its regulator treat them as a punchline.

STAMMA will not accept that "freedom of expression" includes the right to de-humanise people with disabilities. We will continue to challenge the media industry to move past these prehistoric attitudes. A stammer is simply how some people talk — it is not a punchline.

We call on all editors to look beyond the 'letter' of this flawed ruling and honour the 'spirit' of the Editors' Code by treating all individuals with the basic dignity they deserve.