Article damages goodwill

by Rob Smith

On 15th May, The Star reported that children at Grimesthorpe Goodwill Centre held a ceremony dedicating their success to a teacher blown up in the troubled land of Iraq, a claim the Goodwill Centre organisers deny. On Thursday 20th May The Star printed letters condemning the centre and The Star for supporting it, alongside pictures of children belonging to the Goodwill Centre Tae Kwondo Club.

The Messenger was concerned this misrepresented the Goodwill Centre, twisting the positive activities of young people into a political story and provoking a negative response towards the centre. I paid them a visit and spoke to Omer Abdulqader.

“Actually we really have no comment to make on The Star or what they have written,” began Omer, “Other than to say we are pursuing legal action against them.”

I enquired what event The Star had pictured. Omer explained it was a grading event for the Tae Kwondo classes. “Tae Kwondo is held at this centre every week and the people invited down to report this event were about selling papers and not telling the truth.”

Omer was very angry and had little more to add other than reflecting the lack of truth in any of the articles published by The Star newspaper.