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The feral beast: Perfect copies

Sunday 08 March 2009 01:00 GMT
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Red faces after Jacob Rees-Mogg, prospective Tory MP and son of former Times editor William, had to apologise for plagiarising an article from The Sun in a constituency newsletter. There was perhaps not a little irony in reading this on the Telegraph website, which has given a new meaning to the term copy-taking. Not only have they been merrily reproducing stuff from the Daily Mail's website, but items published at midnight on The Independent's site were miraculously published eight hours later on Telegraph.co.uk. Trevor Kavanagh, who penned the cribbed Sun piece, said he was flattered by Rees-Mogg's appropriation. We know what he means.

Is the new Sands in the desert?

Following my colleague Sarah Sands's move to the Evening Standard, the jostling has begun for her editor's seat at Reader's Digest. Names in the frame are said to include Emma Soames, editor-at-large of its main rival, Saga, and Rachel Simhon, a former Telegraph hack now working for Emirates-based paper The National. Simhon is said to be keen to return to the UK.

No home at the 'Standard'

Only a week into Geordie Greig's leadership, the shake-up of the Evening Standard came to a head on Friday. In what was dubbed by one staffer the "afternoon of the long knives" executive features editor Guy Eaton is off, and at least three members of staff will be leaving the Home and Property supplement, including highly regarded deputy Philippa Stockley.

Glory is its own reward

Ah, the joys of Facebook, but how to make money out of it? The Telegraph's ingenious former literary editor, Sam Leith, has the answer: set up a group asking all your mates to contribute their best anecdotes, then turn it into a book. Genius! And can contributors expect a cut? Er, no. He writes: "Any that make it into the book will earn credit, a free copy, undying gratitude and that sort of thing."

Hold the front page

You can take the girl out of the gossip column ... Former 3am girl Jessica Callan can't resist a story landing on her doorstep. The former Mirror hackette gives a scintillating account in Glamour of how Kate Moss moved into the house opposite: "I watched with fascination as a mattress was delivered, then a load of plants. The same day, 10 recycling bins turned up." Callan gave up sniffing out red-hot scoops to write books. Now we know why.

It just doesn't stack up

Consistency is the last thing expected of fashion journalists, but Wednesday's Times reached a new height of absurdity. On page six, Alice Olins chastised Victoria Beckham for wearing 14-inch Christian Louboutin heels. "The shoes just make her look desperate and uncomfortable," she huffed. But is desperate and uncomfortable the new look? On page eight was a shoot promoting ... 14-inch Christian Louboutin heels. Doh!

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