Express Newspapers' representatives are set to appear yet again at the high court tomorrow as an act of contrition for their shoddy journalism. They are expected to read out another formal apology for their titles' coverage of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
This time it will be to the so-called "tapas seven", the friends who were dining that fateful night with the girl's parents, Gerry and Kate McCann. The apology will also involve the payment of substantial damages, which Sky News this afternoon reported as totalling £375,000. It is understood that the money will go into the Find Madeleine Fund.
Sky's crime correspondent Martin Brunt, who broke the story, said that aside from the courtroom apology "there will also be apologies in the Daily Express and Daily Star , and we can expect something similar in the Sunday Express."
He added: "The friends had complained about around two dozen articles in which they claimed they were libelled; accusations that they had covered up the truth of what had happened to Madeleine, allegations that they had obstructed the authorities and even allegations that one of them had been involved in Madeleine's disappearance."
According to the Media Guardian report, Express Newspapers was not immediately available to comment. You bet they weren't. Notwithstanding what I have written in the posting immediately below this, about the dangers of criticising other journalists, the Express titles have been guilty of such poor journalism they deserve the harshest of censure.
It is a further nail in the coffin of the reputation of the Daily Express and its pornographer owner, Richard Desmond.
