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Daily Mail implicates videogames in schizophrenic attack photo

Oh Daily Mail, where would we be without you? Probably in a much better world. The Daily Fail's latest mess is a story revolving around James Callaghan, a schizophrenic teenager who attacked a 65-year-old woman with an axe. Because The Daily Mail is The Daily Mail, it couldn't let this pass without pushing an ulterior motive and continuing its campaign to blame videogames for as many crimes as possible.

Remember, Callaghan was a schizophrenic who heard voices in his head and saw demons, so what does The Daily Mail run as its headline? It says that he killed the woman in a "drink-fueled rage after losing a computer game to his brother." Yep, that's our Mail! It wasn't the fact that he had a diagnosed medical condition, it was because of the videogames!

The Fail is almost impressive in its ability to downplay the killer's mental problems, claiming that Callaghan "also played the computer game Grand Theft Auto, which sends the player’s character on a violent crime spree." The article, written by Chris Brooke, states that "Callaghan lost three consecutive games of Fifa 2008, playing at home against his younger brother and a friend." Apparently this is why he killed Irene Robertson. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was already insane.

It's also worth noting that The Mail, a newspaper that once ran an article called "Ban This Sick Filth" in which it criticized violence in videogames, is not above writing lurid and graphic descriptions of axe murders: "In a scene of unimaginable horror, Callaghan, who did not know his victim, struck her six times on the head with the axe, chopped off a finger and repeatedly stabbed her in the back, stomach and leg." Apparently, it's okay when a tabloid rag has violent content. Just don't let those evil videogames have it. 

Yet more hypocrisy and game-obsessed faux journalism from Britain's scummiest, trashiest, most pathetic excuse for a glorified comic book. Stay classy, Daily Mail!


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40 comments | showing # 1 to 40

Qraze's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 12:29
Qraze
dam thats fuct up.

but we also don't remember when the papers were saying mexicans smoke marijuana and rape white women. this ain't the first or last time media outlets outright lie to sell papers or grad viewers. its all propaganda.
mgmgarcia01's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 12:29
mgmgarcia01
If it was an axe, he should have been playing Brutal Legend.

Or Golden Axe.

Yep, i just said that.
RenagadePanda's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 12:30
RenagadePanda
FIFA? Only the Spaniards kill people over futbol.
SpaceBarZ's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 12:34
SpaceBarZ
Not to justify the article at all but...have you ever lost three games of FIFA in a row??? That combined with a mental condition could send someone over the hill.
Velt's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 12:34
Velt
@RenegadePanda:
not only spaniards... think about latin americans!!
AfroWalrus's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 12:35
AfroWalrus
Whenever I play Harvest Moon I get this terrible urge to go give vegetables to random passerby. It has nothing to do with the voices in my head.
wardrox's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 12:40
wardrox
I once lost a game of Halo. Now my mum is dead.
PwnanObrien's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 12:40
PwnanObrien


Pictured clockwise: Callaghan, the voices in Callaghan's head that tell him to kill, Callaghan's evil mirror self, Sprinkles the invisible wonderpuppy (who also tells Callaghan to kill).
Wintersocks's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 12:41
Wintersocks
Jim I beg you. Call them out on these horrid accusations. Sometimes it's funny, but it's reached the point on saturation. For the good of Journalism, call them up. Use your level 87 Wordsmith skill to defeat them in a battle of logic.

And then publish your exploits on the blogosphere, so everyone will know of your heroic deeds.
Holyetheline's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 12:46
Holyetheline
They really have no class at all whatsoever.
GoldenGamerXero's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 12:52
GoldenGamerXero
Everyone needs to stop insulting the Dailoy Mail because they're doing a great service to us all. I think we all know the damage videogames can cause as I myself stabbed my mother bruality in the face 34 times then went back raped all the holes and shat in her mouth.

If I had only stopped playing Pokemon. WHY JIGGLYPUFF! WHYYYYYY!
BCBen's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 13:01
BCBen
Brilliant post. Hypocrisy will always be alive and well in the media. For all we know he may have seen a commercial of GTA. But if it wasn’t video games it would have been something else... like Power Rangers or those “axe” commercials.
grasslunatic's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 13:10
grasslunatic
When will they learn?
Carl Sagan's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 13:17
Carl Sagan
Once again, I fail to see any direct implication of video games as the culprit here. However, I do see a lot of people who seem to be outrageously and grossly offended whenever their favorite hobby is mentioned in the same breath as any controversy.

In fact, the part you quoted seems be extremely relevant to the situation described and if it weren't mentioned I would question the publication's journalistic prowess (which I still do, but for other reasons).
MetalRufflez's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 13:28
MetalRufflez
Does anyone has the scan of the original "Ban This Sick Filth"?
MultiJoe's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 13:28
MultiJoe
He drank an entire bottle of vodka too.
Kalmah's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 13:28
Kalmah
Never beat a crazy in videogames.
Ephraim Gatsby's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 13:36
Ephraim Gatsby
The Daily Mail is a national embarrassment. Their most recent debacle (google 'Jan Moir Stephen Gately scandal') involved a major columnist finally abandoning all pretense of being a responsible journalist and claiming that the reason a British pop star died on holiday recently was directly attributable to his homosexuality, rather than to the pulmonary oedema that actually, you know, killed him. The guy in question hadn't even been buried yet. Screw the Daily Mail.
w4ffles's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 13:41
w4ffles
Fifa teaches you to be an axe murderer. What's next? Cooking Mama teaches you to car-bomb a building? Fail.
Carl Sagan's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 13:49
Carl Sagan
Yeah, why are we posting Daily Mail articles in the first place?
Nic128's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 13:55
Nic128
Humanity is made of fail.
Br0th3rGr1mm's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 13:55
Br0th3rGr1mm
Ah....he was playing Fifa. It kind of makes sense as we all know Futbol (Soccer) promotes violence and hooliganism in most sane adults. It only follows that a videogame of such would initiate an attack on an elderly woman.
Linkoman's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 13:56
Linkoman
@w4ffles: Hey thats not funny! according to my friends in the media, over 9000 chefs are killed every second by exploding vehicles in the kitchen. And do you know whos to blame? NINTENDOGS OF COURSE!
BAN THIS SICK FILTH!!!!111111
rpbowlinggod's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 14:00
rpbowlinggod
Local news in MN just had an article about Modern Warfare 2 coming out and a couple of "journalists" had an issue with the killing people in an airport part of the game. Cue child psychologist and now all video games are bad.

Here
UglyDuck's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 14:03
UglyDuck
My family still buys the Daily Mail. I have repeatedly asked them to stop, but the words do nothing.
AlLeBlanc's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 14:05
AlLeBlanc
Gosh
Syn's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 15:19
Syn
WHAT, 9000!?


THE DAILY MAIL SOLD OVER NINE THOUSAAAAAAAAAAAND!
RBinator's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 15:41
RBinator
@Carl Sagan: Had the guy did something else, like read a book or watched a TV show prior to the attack, there would be a good chance it wouldn't have came up. Even so, why else would him having played GTA get brought up other than to imply that it drove him to do what he did? If he watched any violent movies and they knew, how come that didn't get brought up?

@w4ffles: Cooking Mama teaches you to kill animals or at least cook their meat.
Syn's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 15:53
Syn
@RBinator: I'm fairly certain that Life taught us to kill and cook animals first.
Battlemage1337's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 16:43
Battlemage1337
This just goes to show you guys that Fifa is serious buisness. Fifa is teaching our kids how to axe murder!!! Kicking the ball is a sick metaphor for chopping off fingers! WHEN WILL THE VIOLENCE END???
Seriously though this kind of stupid makes my head hurt. Other arguements have at least been based on something that could fool your common 45+ adult. But seriously? Blame an axe murder on FIFA?
Actually it's the news that sends people on killing sprees. I will plead guilty if tomorrow the staff of that paper ends up dead.
RBinator's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 17:47
RBinator
@Syn: I wasn't quite serious about that comment myself, but I do know PeTA has gotten mad about the game and did said "Cooking Mama kills animals".
Jon B's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 17:55
Jon B
In all honesty, I don't think people with potentially dangerous streaks SHOULD be playing stuff like GTA. Strikes me as pushing it a bit.

The Daily Mail are still assbackwards retarded though. Although I really wouldn't mind a ban on football games at all.
Wheatspin's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 18:00
Wheatspin
Well obviously Jim, it was the videogames that caused his insanity. Gosh where've you been? BAN THIS SICK FILTH
Mr Kite's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 19:40
Mr Kite
That sounds like crime and punishment, I blame literature.
TheTruth's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 21:36
TheTruth
Why did he chop off one finger? Was it a middle finger? Did she flip him off and he decided that's never happening again?

So many unanswered questions.

Blame the real guilty party: Axes. If we only had sporks in this world, the damage would be so much less severe.
matrixdude171's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/28/2009 23:27
matrixdude171
Huh, it seems that even though videogames are now pretty mainstream people choose to hate rather than appreciate.
Bear Guts's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/29/2009 04:57
Bear Guts
The Daily Mail - selling papers and videogames through reactionary journalism. They must have made so much money for, let alone from GTA 4.
UntidyDubs's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/29/2009 06:48
UntidyDubs
Absolutely pathetic.

You ought to have seen the article they ran about Stephen Gatley's death. That publication is, frankly, pure evil. Makes me ashamed to be English.
MesonW's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/29/2009 08:10
MesonW
Who let him get access to drink?! :o
Akitoscorpio's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/29/2009 11:33
Akitoscorpio
Only pussies use "facts" Real men make shit up
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