Exploitative piece is like a Victorian freak show disguised as a public health story
65ST CARL DEAD AFTER ICE CREAM
‘Britain’s fattest man has died – hours after ordering an apple crumble and ice cream from his favourite takeaway.’
So begins the Sun’s coverage of the death of one Carl Thompson, at the age of 33, at his home yesterday in Dover, Kent.
The Sun also saw fit to publish a nearly full-page photograph of the recently deceased Mr Thompson, in case readers wondered what an obese person looks like.
But as the piece notes of Mr Thompson:
“He began eating heavily to numb the pain after his mum died of breast cancer in 2012.”
It quotes Mr Thompson, from a front-page Sun interview in April, saying:
“I just can’t stop eating. I’ll eat anything that’s put in front of me. The bottom line is I could die if I keep going the way I do.”
For someone to keep eating like this for years until they reach 65 stone suggests a serious fault in their mental health.
To its credit, the Sun includes the above information and a small column from a reporter, noting the paper arranged for five hours of addiction counselling for Mr Thompson.
Unfortunately, this only increases the sense of exploitation by the paper you have in reading the piece.
We are invited to gasp and perhaps chuckle at Mr Thompson’s size by means of the photograph and the grinning headline and introduction.
Then we are given heart-wrenching quotes from a local Pizza take-away owner saying Thompson was ‘full of life’ and optimistic about receiving help.
Finally an old quote from the deceased foretells his own death.
Highlighting cases such as these can be defended on several grounds. But newspapers should make up their minds if they are drawing attention to a public health issue or reproducing the affect of a Victorian freak show, for the general amusement of its readers.
Trying to do both at the same time, or use one as a cover for the other, makes you want to go and take a shower.
Adam Barnett is a staff writer at Left Foot Forward. Follow MediaWatch on Twitter
Read more:
The Sun is asking women readers to send in bikini pictures… and subscribe online
Success! Telegraph apologises and runs correction after MediaWatch exposes false claim
Sign up for our weekly email by clicking here.
13 Responses to “A man has died from obesity… and The Sun can’t suppress its giggles”
GhostofJimMorisson
For someone to keep eating like this for years until they reach 65 stone suggests a serious fault in their mental health.
No, it suggests a greedy bastard. When my weight got to 17 stone I thought to myself “I’m getting a bit podgy, best do something about it”. People need to take responsibility for their bodies. Help is out there for anyone who needs it.
moochka
“No, it suggests a greedy bastard. When my weight got to 17 stone I thought to myself “I’m getting a bit podgy, best do something about it”. People need to take responsibility for their bodies. Help is out there for anyone who needs it.”
….something tells me you don’t understand how mental conditions work. If your answer to an irrational act is an over-simplistic rational solution then you evidently don’t get it and should probably stay quiet.
Selohesra
Is the Mirror’s coverage really any better? – its what you expect from a tabloid
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/britains-fattest-man-dead-carl-5924039
dnspncr
It would be easy for me to label you as a thick bastard who knows fuck all about psychology but I understand there are a multitude of possible motivating factors behind your comment so I’ll refrain myself.
AlanGiles
Let’s be fair. I loathe the “Sun” but it wasn’t the only paper to show a photograph of the poor chap. I have a copy of “Metro” here for example which shows an unclothed photograph.
The Sun is a crass red-top tabloid but most of the papers picked up on this story this morning.