After what was a clear error by The Times newspaper as they failed to properly cover the Hillsborough verdict in a first edition back in April, journalist Tony Barrett has resigned from his post as their Merseyside football writer, as per The Guardian.
The journalist was visibly shocked by his employer’s lack of coverage for the verdicts, in which 96 football fans were found to have been unlawfully killed.
As a Liverpudlian himself, and the person responsible for the paper’s coverage of the region, Barrett was understandably shirked by the events.
As the following day’s front and back pages were released, The Times made their notable omission. Shortly after the revelation, Barrett tweeted “Unbelievable”.
Twitter: Unbelievable. (@TonyBarretTimes)
The next day, after The Times had reinstated the coverage for their second edition, the journalist tweeted an apology.
Twitter: To everyone who’s been let down I’m so sorry. (@TonyBarretTimes)
In a move that saw widespread support for his actions, you’d be hard pushed to find anyone who blamed him for his anger or who blamed him for the bizarre and quite frankly bold omission of the news.
The Times newspaper itself did make an apology, but it was likely too little, too late for its readership and for Barrett himself.
We've been criticised today for not having Hillsborough on our first edition front page. This is our response: pic.twitter.com/GNhBN6g3S1
— The Times and The Sunday Times (@thetimes) April 27, 2016
News UK, publisher for The Times and that other paper, are yet to make any comment on the matter – perhaps unsurprisingly.
Whilst the circumstances are not great, this is an example, at least, that morals still do exist in and around the football industry – albeit sporadically.
Respect, Tony.
