Exclusive: Clooney responds to 'Daily Mail' report

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Exclusive: Clooney responds to 'Daily Mail' report

George Clooney, Special for USA TODAY 12:12 a.m. EDT July 9, 2014


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George Clooney says a recent 'Daily Mail' story about his fiancee's mother is "at the very least negligent and very possibly dangerous."(Photo: Jason LaVeris, FilmMagic)

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I want to speak to the irresponsibility of Monday's Daily Mail report. I seldom respond to tabloids, unless it involves someone else and their safety or well being. The Daily Mail has printed a completely fabricated story about my fiancée's mother opposing our marriage for religious reasons. It says Amal's mother has been telling "half of Beirut" that she's against the wedding. It says they joke about traditions in the Druze religion that end up with the death of the bride.
Let me repeat that: the death of the bride.
STORY: George Clooney slams story of mother-in-law rift

First of all, none of the story is factually true. Amal's mother is not Druze. She has not been to Beirut since Amal and I have been dating, and she is in no way against the marriage — but none of that is the issue. I'm, of course, used to the Daily Mail making up stories — they do it several times a week — and I don't care. If they fabricate stories of Amal being pregnant, or that the marriage will take place on the set of Downton Abbey, or that I'm running for office, or any number of idiotic stories that they sit at their computers and invent, I don't care.

But this lie involves larger issues. The irresponsibility, in this day and age, to exploit religious differences where none exist, is at the very least negligent and more appropriately dangerous. We have family members all over the world, and the idea that someone would inflame any part of that world for the sole reason of selling papers should be criminal.

I'm the son of a newsman; I accept the idea that freedom of speech can be an inconvenience to my private life from time to time, but this story, like so many others, is picked up by hundreds of other outlets citing the Daily Mail as their source, including Boston.com, New York Daily News, Gulf News, Emirates 24/7 and so on.

The Daily Mail, more than any other organization that calls itself news, has proved time and time again that facts make no difference in the articles they make up. And when they put my family and my friends in harm's way, they cross far beyond just a laughable tabloid and into the arena of inciting violence.
They must be so very proud.

Go George!  While he confirms his engagement (congrats George and Amal!), he disputes the DM's consistently fabricated stories and the consequences of their false reports:

Link to his statement
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here's a quote:
"First of all, none of the story is factually true. Amal's mother is not Druze. She has not been to Beirut since Amal and I have been dating, and she is in no way against the marriage — but none of that is the issue.  
I'm, of course, used to the Daily Mailmaking up stories — they do it several times a week — and I don't care.
If they fabricate stories of Amal being pregnant, or that the marriage will take place on the set of Downton Abbey, or that I'm running for office, or any number of idiotic stories that they sit at their computers and invent, I don't care.
But this lie involves larger issues. The irresponsibility, in this day and age, to exploit religious differences where none exist, is at the very least negligent and more appropriately dangerous. We have family members all over the world, and the idea that someone would inflame any part of that world for the sole reason of selling papers should be criminal." (USA Today Online)

His statement confirms why I'm a Clooney fan.  In my opinion, he deals so well with his celebrity and is bang on with his accusations.  I admire his attitude.

well said George!

What an egotistical asshole!!  He feeds the animal and then can't stand it when it bites back!!

Thanks, Mel. Not surprised that this was the tipping point at all. Superb statement

I want to speak to the irresponsibility of Monday's Daily Mail report. I seldom respond to tabloids, unless it involves someone else and their safety or well being.

The Daily Mail has printed a completely fabricated story about my fiancée's mother opposing our marriage for religious reasons.
It says Amal's mother has been telling "half of Beirut" that she's against the wedding.
It says they joke about traditions in the Druze religion that end up with the death of the bride.

Let me repeat that: the death of the bride.

First of all, none of the story is factually true. Amal's mother is not Druze. She has not been to Beirut since Amal and I have been dating, and she is in no way against the marriage — but none of that is the issue.

I'm, of course, used to the Daily Mail making up stories — they do it several times a week — and I don't care. If they fabricate stories of Amal being pregnant, or that the marriage will take place on the set of Downton Abbey, or that I'm running for office, or any number of idiotic stories that they sit at their computers and invent.
I don't care.

[b]But this lie involves larger issues. The irresponsibility, in this day and age, to exploit religious differences where none exist, is at the very least negligent and more appropriately dangerous.

We have family members all over the world, and the idea that someone would inflame any part of that world for the sole reason of selling papers should be criminal.

I'm the son of a newsman; I accept the idea that freedom of speech can be an [/b]inconvenience to my private life from time to time, but this story, like so many others, is picked up by hundreds of other outlets citing the Daily Mail as their source, including Boston.com, New York Daily News, Gulf News,
Emirates 24/7 and so on.

The Daily Mail, more than any other organization that calls itself news, has proved time and time again that facts make no difference in the articles they make up.

And when they put my family and my friends in harm's way, they cross far beyond just a laughable tabloid and into the arena of inciting violence.

They must be so very proud.

What!!??

This is a flippant and very irresponsible article on one of his 'own'. And he hasn't given it to his PR team. He's dealt with it because it's personal. 

Obviously a huge fan of the Maulonline

Well said George....straight to the point, as usual.

This is a very strong and accurate statement by
George, where he spells out the wider and more important issues involving the lies about
Baria Alummidin.



But I think maybe pyhismajor hasn't
totally grasped that yet.

Merge threads

Very well said, George   x

Featured on the BBC News website now.....

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Wow that's great about the BBC coverage.

It says the story was "in print" on Tuesday
so could Baria sue them ?

From BBC web site......

9 July 2014 Last updated at 11:01 Share this pageEmailPrint

George Clooney slams Daily Mail over 'irresponsible' marriage story

George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin have been engaged since April

US actor George Clooney has accused the Daily Mail of "irresponsibility" after it claimed his fiancee's mother opposes their marriage on religious grounds.

The British tabloid, he said, had been "negligent" in "exploit[ing] religious differences where none exist".

Earlier this week, the Mail claimed Amal Alamuddin's mother, Baria, wished her daughter to be married within the relatively small Druze sect.

The Mail has been asked to comment and has yet to respond.

In a piece published by USA Today, Clooney said he was "used to the Daily Mail making up stories" and accepted "freedom of speech can be an inconvenience to [his] private life".

Yet the piece in question, he went on, put his family and friends "in harm's way" and took the newspaper "into the arena of inciting violence".

"We have family members all over the world, and the idea that someone would inflame any part of that world for the sole reason of selling papers should be criminal," he wrote.

Clooney's engagement to Amal Alamuddin, a London-based barrister who specialises in human rights cases, was confirmed by her chambers in April.

The Daily Mail's report, published online on Monday and then in print on Tuesday in an amended form, said "close family friends" had told them that Baria Alamuddin had been "telling half of Beirut" that her daughter "could do better".

"There are 500,000 Druze," one of their unnamed sources was quoted as saying. "Are none of them good enough for her?"

"Amal's mother is not Druze," responded Clooney. "She has not been to Beirut since Amal and I have been dating, and she is in no way against the marriage.

"But this lie involves larger issues. The irresponsibility, in this day and age, to exploit religious differences where none exist, is at the very least negligent and more appropriately dangerous."

The Druze are a religious sect whose beliefs are based on Islam but also incorporate elements of other religions.

There are an estimated 700,000 members, mostly in Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Jordan.

Well said George. Mail now you've lost respect from me!

I'm glad that George stands up for his friends and family.

Not sure if this should be separate

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so much drama ....

Talk to us more George!    I would love to know when and which journalists are fabricating stories! If you don't tell us, how can we know for sure?

Thank you so much for this statement. I also think that fabricating stories should be a criminal offense.

GO GEORGE! 

Wow! This is why I'm a fan. What a class act! With one statement George confirms his engagement, defends his future mother-in-law, puts to rest rumors that Amal is pregnant and that he is running for office, and reminds the media that freedom of the press comes with the responsibility to tell the truth.

@phys major - This isn't self-serving, it's self defense. The world today is a dangerous place and for the Daily Mail to - even jokingly - suggest violence for religious reasons (or any other reason, for that matter) is supremely irresponsible.

If you were in his position, what would you have done?

George Clooney attacks Daily Mail over 'irresponsible' story on his fiancée
Gravity star says paper has crossed 'far beyond just a laughable tabloid and into the arena of inciting violence'
Gravity star says paper has crossed 'far beyond just a laughable tabloid and into the arena of inciting violence'
Roy Greenslade
theguardian.com, Wednesday 9 July 2014 08.29 BST

George Clooney has accused the Daily Mail of 'irresponsible' journalism. Photograph: D Dipasupil/Getty Images
Actor George Clooney has accused the Daily Mail of concocting a false and irresponsible story about his fiancée, the human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin.

He issued a strongly-worded statement to the popular American national newspaper, USA Today, following the publication of a Mail article which claimed that Alamuddin's mother, Baria, opposed their forthcoming marriage on religious grounds.

It cited unnamed family members as its source. Clooney wrote:

"I want to speak to the irresponsibility of Monday's Daily Mail report. I seldom respond to tabloids, unless it involves someone else and their safety or well being.

The Daily Mail has printed a completely fabricated story about my fiancée's mother opposing our marriage for religious reasons.

It says Amal's mother has been telling 'half of Beirut' that she's against the wedding. It says they joke about traditions in the Druze religion that end up with the death of the bride. Let me repeat that: the death of the bride."

In his statement he dismantled the key details of the Mail's story:

"None of the story is factually true. Amal's mother is not Druze. She has not been to Beirut since Amal and I have been dating, and she is in no way against the marriage."

But that, in his view, was not "the issue." After claiming that he is used to the Mail "making up stories" about him, he argued that "this lie involves larger issues." He wrote:

"The irresponsibility, in this day and age, to exploit religious differences where none exist, is at the very least negligent and more appropriately dangerous.

We have family members all over the world, and the idea that someone would inflame any part of that world for the sole reason of selling papers should be criminal."

Clooney, 53, whose father was a TV journalist and broadcaster, continued: "I'm the son of a newsman; I accept the idea that freedom of speech can be an inconvenience to my private life from time to time."

But he was concerned by the fact that the Mail's false story had been picked up by hundreds of other outlets, such as Boston.com, New York Daily News, Gulf News and Emirates 24/7.
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Daily Mail story on George Clooney's fiancée

He concluded his statement by writing: "The Daily Mail, more than any other organisation that calls itself news, has proved time and time again that facts make no difference in the articles they make up.

"And when they put my family and my friends in harm's way, they cross far beyond just a laughable tabloid and into the arena of inciting violence. They must be so very proud."

He cited three "idiotic" and false stories that the Mail has fabricated about him and Alamuddin: she was pregnant, their marriage will take place on the set of Downton Abbey and he is running for political office. These are, he claims, stories "they sit at their computers and invent."

The latest Mail Online version of the story LINKis different from the one published in the newspaper on Monday. It was amended six hours after it was originally posted on the website.


But it still states that Alamuddin's mother, Baria, "is not so impressed" with Clooney and "wanted her to marry within their strict Lebanese religious sect, according to close family friends."

USA Today reports that the Mail "did not respond to requests for comment."
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Let me repeat that: the death of the bride.




isn't it too much?
what the goal?

George Clooney and those 'idiotic, fabricated' stories about him
Further to George Clooney's accusation that the Daily Mail published an irresponsible article about his fiancée's mother, I note that he cited three "idiotic" stories that were also fabricated.

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Last week's OK! exlusive
So let's take a look at the trio of stories which Clooney mentions, which he believes "they [the Mail] sit at their computers and invent."

As far as I can see, one of them was not published by the Mail. That's the claim that Clooney's betrothed, Amal Alamuddin, was three months' pregnant. It appeared instead on the cover of OK! magazine and was then picked up by websites across the world and accepted as fact. (examples here and here and here).

Even scepticism about the "revelation", as in this Toronto Star online report, was couched in such way as to suggest to readers it might be true:

"In a rare show of restraint it's taken months for a tabloid to get the woman 'who finally slayed the bachelor dragon' pregnant. But now she totally is and the proof is she went for a walk wearing something not skin-tight.

Alas, there is still a wedding to plan and fortunately for Amal, George is 'happy to indulge' her silly little notions about having the wedding anywhere but at his Italian villa.

Women get all kinds of ideas into their highly respected, international human rights lawyer-heads when they're made-up pregnant."

The second story, the claim that the Clooney-Alamuddin marriage will take place on the set of Downton Abbey, certainly was in the Mail.

On 26 May, the paper reported that the couple had "zeroed in on Highclere Castle... the home of TV's Downton Abbey" as the venue for their wedding.

Its unnamed "source" was quoted as saying: "George loves the idea of marrying at the castle, because it's a glamorous place he could secure."

Those anonymous sources always seem to provide just the right quote, do they not?

As for the third story that Clooney rubbishes - the claim that he is running for political office - this is a rather different matter.

On 20 June, the Mail's gossip columnist, Sebastian Shakespeare, did report that the actor planned to enter politics. But this was based on a direct quote from his aunt, Starla Clooney, who was quoted as saying:

"George will run for office now, especially after his marriage to Amal, as that will open so many doors for him."

If the quote was accurate, and even if Ms Clooney was wrong, then, in this case, the Mail is absolved from invention.

I note that Shakespeare's column on Monday stretched the story a little further by suggesting that Clooney wants to become the president of the United States. Again, this was based on a named source, a friend of Clooney's.

Clooney's statement to USA Today indicates that the claims by his aunt and his friend were wrong.

But that does not invalidate his overall view about the number of made-up stories that appear about him. What the OK! magazine pregnancy nonsense and the Downton Abbey fantasy illustrate is that too little has been learned since the Leveson inquiry.

Celebrities are still regarded as fair game by newspapers and magazines, meaning that almost anything can be published in the belief that the "victims" will shrug and move on.

For once, Clooney has refused to accept the unacceptable. It will be interesting to see what, and where, the Mail publishes its correction/clarification/apology to him tomorrow.
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Amal Alamuddin's mother gets on 'brilliantly' with George Clooney

Amal Alamuddin's mother Baria insists she is pleased with her future son-in-law and gets on well with the actor.
The lawyer's mum Baria Alamuddin has hit back at rumours she disapproves of her daughter's A-list fiancé, revealing that her family have welcomed George with open arms and there are no tensions whatsoever.

According to The Sun newspaper, she said: "We are all absolutely fine and there are not problems or tensions at all concerning George and Amal. Our families get on brilliantly."

It was recently reported that Baria wanted Amal, who was born into strict Lebanese religious sect in Beirut, to wed a Druze muslim and believes her daughter can find someone "better" than the 53-year-old Hollywood actor.
Baria appears to have quashed the claims once and for all, however, since she was speaking from Italy, where she is holidaying with the Clooney family

Meanwhile, George himself has hit back at the paper that published the "completely fabricated" original story, criticising the "irresponsibility" of their report.
In a statement on USA Today, he wrote: "First of all, none of the story is factually true. Amal's mother is not Druze.
She has not been to Beirut since Amal and I have been dating, and she is in no way against the marriage - but none of that is the issue ...


"But this lie involves larger issues. The irresponsibility, in this day and age, to exploit religious differences where none exist, is at the very least negligent and more appropriately dangerous.


"We have family members all over the world, and the idea that someone would inflame any part of that world for the sole reason of selling papers should be criminal."

The couple, who got engaged earlier this year, are expected to get married in September near Lake Como in Italy after spending the last month searching for potential venues for their nuptials.

In case people didn't understand the Leveson inquiry reference that's been a major inquiry into Phone Hacking by journalists, mainly working for Rupert Mudoch press.
Some journalists and one editor have been jailed recently.

Plenty online about it if you just Google Leveson.

Just a background note on the journalist, Roy Greenslade, who wrote this column in The Guardian.

He has been at the top of practically every newspaper, be it broadsheet or tabloid, in the UK, in an editorial role, and is now Professor of Journalism at City of London University, and he clearly endorses George's view..I expect he will comment further if there is no apology from the Mail, or Maul, as I like to call it now

I'm sure that if the Leveson inquiry hadn't have happened, both Amal & Baria's phones would be
high on the hackers list since before April.

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George Clooney rips UK newspaper over report on fiancee's mom
Gil Aegerter
8 hours ago




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Marcel Winston / Getty Images
George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin at a birthday event in Santa Barbara, California, on April 27.
Oscar-winner George Clooney is swinging away at a British newspaper over “a completely fabricated story” that his fiancee’s mother opposes the marriage on religious grounds – a report that he said put his family at risk.

In an op-ed in USA Today, Clooney said The Daily Mail report incorrectly reported that Amal Alamuddin’s mom was a member of the Druze religion and referred to jokes about traditions in the religion “that end up with the death of the bride. Let me repeat that, the death of the bride.”  
“The irresponsibility, in this day and age, to exploit religious differences where none exist, is at the very least negligent and more appropriately dangerous,” Clooney wrote in the op-ed. “We have family members all over the world, and the idea that someone would inflame any part of that world for the sole reason of selling papers should be criminal.”

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Alamuddin was born in Beirut, Lebanon, but her family moved to the U.K. when she was a girl. She attended Oxford and holds a law degree from New York University. Her engagement to Clooney was made public in April.

Clooney noted that he is the son of a newsman and accepted that newspapers would write about his private life. But he said he was disturbed at the number of news outlets that picked up the Daily Mail report.
He said that when the Daily Mail puts “my family and my friends in harm’s way they cross far beyond just a laughable tabloid and into the arena of inciting violence.”

On Wednesday, The Daily Mail responded to Clooney's concerns about the story.
"The MailOnline story was not a fabrication but supplied in good faith by a reputable and trusted freelance journalist," the statement read. "She based her story on conversations with a long standing contact who has strong connections with senior members of the Lebanese community in the UK and the Druze in Beirut. We only became aware of Mr Clooney's concerns this morning and have launched a full investigation."
The publication went on to say that, despite all of that, they take Clooney at his word. "We accept Mr Clooney's assurance that the story is inaccurate and we (apologize) to him, Miss Amal Alamuddin and her mother, Baria, for any distress caused."

The story has since been removed from the website, and The Daily Mail now plans to contact the actor's reps "to discuss giving him the opportunity to set the record straight."

Well that's a small move in the right direction.
I hope there's transparency in the Mail's "investigation"

Roy Greenslade's input in the reputable Guardian
must have caused some hot phone calls !

I hope lessons will be learned from this episode....
EVERYWHERE.

I personally feel very proud of Our George today.

  

Well, it is the Daily Fail, what did you expect??

The story has since been removed from the website, and The Daily Mail now plans to contact the actor's reps "to discuss giving him the opportunity to set the record straight."

These people are shameless! They're giving him the "opportunity to set the record straight"? -  more like the opportunity to boost their sales through the roof! Their half-assed apology and obvious attempt to keep the story going to their benefit is disgusting. Bravo to George for showing them up as the opportunists they really are.

Why would they think they need to "contact George's reps to give him a chance to set the record straight?" George has already set them straight. It's done. Why would he help them sell more papers by responding in his own name in their rag?

I think it's just newspaper-jargon-speake

for. "We Cocked Up folks""  

So the DM will not print anymore pictures of Amal in London.
I think this statement will put a stop to that quiet successfully.

But it has to be a two way street.

Alisonfan - How can it be a two way street? Should George and Amal never again leave their house or be seen in public? Should he never again publicize his films (which he is often contractually required to do)? Get real! The only way this could be a two way street is if George himself kept the Mail apprised of what was happening in his life, and that's NEVER going to happen.

No matter what George and Amal do, rest assured the Daily Mail isn't through with them yet.

Alisonfan wrote:So the DM will not print anymore pictures of Amal in London.
I think this statement will put a stop to that quiet successfully.

But it has to be a two way street.

I'm sorry but where does that statement come from?  Is it your opinion or did the DM state that somewhere?

I've been skimming but I don't remember seeing that.

Daily Mail Apologizes to George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin's Families, Removes Article From Its Website
NBC London received an apologetic statement from the publication shortly after Clooney's went viral.
"The MailOnline story was not a fabrication but supplied in good faith by a reputable and trusted freelance journalist. She based her story on conversations with a long standing contact who has strong connections with senior members of the Lebanese community in the U.K. and the Druze in Beirut," the organization said. "We only became aware of Mr. Clooney's concerns this morning and have launched a full investigation. However, we accept Mr. Clooney's assurance that the story is inaccurate and we apologize to him, Miss Amal Alamuddin and her mother, Baria, for any distress caused."
The Daily Mail took it a step further and vowed to make amends to the acclaimed actor. "We have removed the article from our website and will be contacting Mr. Clooney's representatives to discuss giving him the opportunity to set the record straight," the publication said in a statement Wednesday.
(E! and NBC London are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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I really like Lainey's take on the statement......


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George Clooney vs The Daily Mail

The Daily Mail reported the other day that Amal Alamuddin’s ma is pissed that she’s engaged to George Clooney because she was hoping her daughter would marry someone from a different background. Obviously not true. They couldn’t stick with some sh-t about Amal and George fighting over flower arrangements and the guest list. They couldn’t work a fake story about how she’s jealous about the stag his boys are planning for him. If they had, he probably wouldn’t have reacted. But they went there, they went to religion, and so he felt like he had to react. In an exclusive statement released toUSA Today, Clooney writes:
I want to speak to the irresponsibility of Monday's Daily Mail report. I seldom respond to tabloids, unless it involves someone else and their safety or well being. The Daily Mail has printed a completely fabricated story about my fiancée's mother opposing our marriage for religious reasons. It says Amal's mother has been telling "half of Beirut" that she's against the wedding. It says they joke about traditions in the Druze religion that end up with the death of the bride.
Let me repeat that: the death of the bride.
First of all, none of the story is factually true. Amal's mother is not Druze. She has not been to Beirut since Amal and I have been dating, and she is in no way against the marriage — but none of that is the issue. I'm, of course, used to the Daily Mail making up stories — they do it several times a week — and I don't care. If they fabricate stories of Amal being pregnant, or that the marriage will take place on the set of Downton Abbey, or that I'm running for office, or any number of idiotic stories that they sit at their computers and invent, I don't care.
But this lie involves larger issues. The irresponsibility, in this day and age, to exploit religious differences where none exist, is at the very least negligent and more appropriately dangerous. We have family members all over the world, and the idea that someone would inflame any part of that world for the sole reason of selling papers should be criminal.
I'm the son of a newsman; I accept the idea that freedom of speech can be an inconvenience to my private life from time to time, but this story, like so many others, is picked up by hundreds of other outlets citing the Daily Mail as their source, including Boston.com, New York Daily News, Gulf News, Emirates 24/7 and so on.
The Daily Mail, more than any other organization that calls itself news, has proved time and time again that facts make no difference in the articles they make up. And when they put my family and my friends in harm's way, they cross far beyond just a laughable tabloid and into the arena of inciting violence.
They must be so very proud.

I kinda love what he just did there. Up to this point, as you know, Clooney has never on the record talked about his engagement. This is the first time he’s referred to Amal as “my fiancée”. And now his family. There’s your hook. And then he gets his say. And, at the same time, he reminds us about what he’s always said before – that he understands that as a celebrity, sometimes he has to balance out his privilege with some compromise. George doesn’t complain the way the others do about the paps, he doesn’t whinge about it like Justin Bieber, he doesn’t create stupid hashtags to push back against it like Kristen Bell. Not until you legitimately threaten the safety of his future wife.
Seriously. Why couldn’t they just have made up a story about how Cindy Crawford hates Amal and leave it at that? 

Ok, so the DM says that their story is true and not fabricated and they will contact Clooney's Reps to set the record, and yet, they remove the story, apologize and ask for full investigation!! Talk about contradictions!!

I think George felt like to response here as this was personal for him I think...

ok so with his statement he declined all rumors...no baby, no druze, no run for office, no wedding at Abbey and what else  

George Clooney gets apology from newspaper about his future mother-in-law
Published July 09, 2014
Associated Press
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August 28, 2013. George Clooney smiles as he arrives on the red carpet for the premiere of "Gravity" at the 70th Venice Film Festival in Venice.Reuters
Britain's Daily Mail newspaper apologized to George Clooney on Wednesday for alleging his fiancee's mother opposed the marriage on religious grounds — a story Clooney called both wrong and irresponsible.
Clooney is engaged to Beirut-born London lawyer Amal Alamuddin, who comes from a family of Druse, adherents of a monotheistic religion based mainly in Lebanon, Syria and Israel.
Citing unnamed family "friends," the newspaper's MailOnline website reported this week that her mother, Baria Alamuddin, wanted her 36-year-old daughter to marry a Druse man. It said Amal Alamuddin risked being "cast out of the community" if she wed Clooney, and claimed several women had been murdered for not abiding by strict Druse rules.
Clooney called the story "completely fabricated."
In a statement issued to USA Today, he said Baria Alamuddin was not Druse and "is in no way against the marriage."
Clooney, 53, added that "to exploit religious differences where none exist is at the very least negligent and more appropriately dangerous."
"We have family members all over the world, and the idea that someone would inflame any part of that world for the sole reason of selling papers should be criminal," he said, accusing the newspaper of "inciting violence."
The newspaper said Wednesday that the story had been "supplied in good faith by a reputable and trusted freelance journalist."
"We accept Mr. Clooney's assurance that the story is inaccurate and we apologize to him, Miss Amal Alamuddin and her mother, Baria, for any distress caused," it said in a statement.
The Mail said it had removed the article from the website "and will be contacting Mr. Clooney's representatives to discuss giving him the opportunity to set the record straight."
The Druse are a close-knit community and rarely marry outside their sect. But some Druse have welcomed Clooney.
Walid Jumblatt, political leader of the sect in Lebanon, told The Associated Press recently that he hoped the couple would soon visit the Druse heartland.
Clooney will bring us "great publicity," Jumblatt said. "He can make a movie about the Druse sect."
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I'll figure out how to do this right eventually, if it kills me.   But wanted to post this  Love Jumblatt's last comment

Merged threads

party animal - not! wrote:I really like Lainey's take on the statement......


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I kinda love what he just did there. Up to this point, as you know, Clooney has never on the record talked about his engagement. This is the first time he’s referred to Amal as “my fiancée”. And now his family. There’s your hook. And then he gets his say. And, at the same time, he reminds us about what he’s always said before – that he understands that as a celebrity, sometimes he has to balance out his privilege with some compromise. George doesn’t complain the way the others do about the paps, he doesn’t whinge about it like Justin Bieber, he doesn’t create stupid hashtags to push back against it like Kristen Bell. Not until you legitimately threaten the safety of his future wife.
Seriously. Why couldn’t they just have made up a story about how Cindy Crawford hates Amal and leave it at that? 

She is right. He talked about it the first time.....So maybe after all the tabloids got what they wanted....He reacted with a statement and confirmed his engagement with his own words......

i not a great legal person but could someone get sued?

This may or may not need its own patch - help!


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[size=48]George Clooney proves why shaming the tabloids is more effective than suing them[/size]

Celebrities rarely acknowledge tabloids — at this point, there are so many outlets writing maybe-true-but-probably-not posts, it’s pointless to go after every single one. So when a star actually responds to a story, it’s noteworthy.


And in the case of George Clooney, it goes viral. Early Tuesday morning,Clooney blasted the Daily Mail for publishing a story that claimed his fiancee’s mother was not pleased that her daughter was marrying someone outside the Druze religion. In a lengthy op-ed on USA Today’s web site, Clooney slammed the British tabloid for that fact being completely false. But more importantly, the story said there are jokes “about traditions in the Druze religion that end up with the death of the bride.”


That, Clooney wrote, is where the tabloid crossed the line. Noting that he normally doesn’t care what papers make up about him, he added, “This lie involves larger issues.”


“The irresponsibility, in this day and age, to exploit religious differences where none exist, is at the very least negligent and more appropriately dangerous,” he wrote. “We have family members all over the world, and the idea that someone would inflame any part of that world for the sole reason of selling papers should be criminal.”


When Clooney so aggressively went after the actual content and explicitly pointed out what was wrong, the Daily Mail was shamed into an unusual step of its own: Deleting the story from its Web site and launching an “investigation” about what went wrong with this article, written by a freelancer.


The story caught fire for a couple reasons, one being that Clooney is an A-list star who generally stays mum on the thousands of things printed about his love life every year. The second is that Clooney hit the tabloid point for point: Alamuddin’s mother is not Druze; she’s didn’t tell everyone she was against the marriage; she’s not against the marriage. And, oh yeah, it’s probably not a good idea to stoke the flames by writing in the story that some Druze brides who marry outside the religion end up dead.


This brings up what should be a valuable lesson for celebrities who are horrified to see false stories printed about themselves every day. When they’re particularly egregious, shaming is probably more valuable than suing them.

While the process of suing a tabloid for a false story is a complicated and generally very difficult venture (for reasons explained over and over again), sometimes it works. Among stars who have tried include Tom Cruise, whosued Life & Style for $50 million for defamation over claims he abandoned daughter Suri after he split with Katie Holmes; David Beckham went afterIn Touch Weekly for libel and slander after writing he had sex with hookers; even Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie filed a lawsuit against News of The World for claiming they had broken up.


While a lawsuit definitely makes a point, there’s little chance that people will actually get to read evidence about why the story was wrong. Generally, people’s eyes tend to glaze over at the word “lawsuit” and legalese in general.


By specifically pointing out just how many things the Daily Mail article got incorrect, Clooney caused a firestorm. In fact, many more people picked up those quotes (and the Daily Mail’s retraction) than the actual story.


As Clooney points out in his op-ed, one of the most destructive parts of the Daily Mail story is that other, more reputable outlets started running with the story, citing Daily Mail as the source. Now, with Clooney’s very public, detailed reprimand, those same Web sites will likely think twice before trusting the Daily Mail again. Same with the people that read the site, and likely certain celebrities thinking about cooperating with them.


At the end of the day, that’s far more damaging than a lawsuit.

too tired to debate/argue.


(Nicky80: pigpen deleted original post)

They are right in the article PAN his statement now is more damaging to the paper then a law suit. Now everybody knows what the paper wrote wrong. And normally when a celebrity makes a statement it does not go around printed all over the news like George statement...WELL DONE GEORGE

@ Pigpen, the story about George mother came out on the 7th and that spread fast all over the news. Today we got the statement. So he needed one day to prepare the statement which is ok.    I think no one thought this false article will spread so fast and talked about. George had to reply as the mother was put in a bad light but not only the mother also the religion "druze"....And while he had to response with a statement he declined all other rumors too which are days old  

Pigpen - Unlike the idiots at the DM, maybe George took the time to actually THINK about what he wanted to say and which outlet he wanted to use to release the statement. If it took him a day or two, so what?