tabloids

This page highlights selected incidents of apologies and costs/damages payments by newspapers and by broadcasters.

It illustrates the vicissitudes of publishers (some claims may indeed have been true but unprovable in court) and risk-taking or mere disregard for the reputation of celebrities.

It covers -

• introduction
• drip feed?
• 2006
• 2005
• 2004
• 2003

     2006

- Elton John receives £100,000 in libel damages plus costs from the Daily Mail over claims that he banned guests from talking to him at a charity fundraising event

- London Evening Standard apologises and pays undisclosed damages to Norman Lamont over claim that he tried to insult John Major's son by giving him a copy of Lamont's 1999 memoirs as a wedding present - a "cheap and vindictive act"

- London Daily Mail issues a formal apology and agrees to pay "substantial" damages to Sharon Stone over allegations that she left her son in a car while she had a late-night dinner.

- London Sun and the News of the World offer potential apologies and damages to Choice FM presenter who took legal action over claims that a "well known DJ" had "gay sex" with a UK Premiership footballer

- UK jockey Kieren Fallon accepts undisclosed damages from News of the World over 2004 claim of unprovoked attack on a fellow rider

- London Sun and Heat magazine apologise and make "substantial" payments to Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher over "sex romps in her VW camper van" claims. Daily Sport apologise and pays substantial damages and costs to Hatcher in 2005 after publishing similar claims

- Elton John receives damages from the Sunday Times over claims that he acted in a "self-important, arrogant and rude" manner at his charity ball

- Wayne Rooney receives £100,000 in damages, plus costs, from libel action against the Sun and News of the World over allegations that he slapped his girlfriend

- London Mail on Sunday issues formal apology and agrees to pay damages to tv figure Noel Edmonds over allegations that he seduced a woman away from her husband and used their relationship to promote his career

- London Daily Telegraph agrees to pay controversial politician George Galloway £150,000 in damages over allegation he had received money from Saddam Hussein's regime

- London Financial Times faces £4.5m bill (inc £300,000 damages) in settling suit brought by broker Collins Stewart over claims in 2003

     2005

- London Sun apologises and pays "substantial damages" to Belinda Brewin over accusation of helping two murderers to go on the run

- Boston Herald ordered to pay US$2.1m for defaming Superior Court judge Ernest Murphy

- BBC apologises and pays "substantial" damages to eight UK police officers accused of "unlawful killing" in programme about death of a mentally ill man

- UK Mail on Sunday pays undisclosed damages to Brigadier Matthew Sykes over claim he was involved in alleged conspiracy to bring down Iraq war commander Colonel Tim Collins

- UK Daily Express agrees to pay "substantial" damages to Elaine Decoulos over accusation of stalking a former friend

- Robbie Williams gains legal costs and substantial damages from People newspaper, Stars and Hot Stars magazines

-The Sun apologises and pays damages to Mohammed el Guerbozi, Moroccan-born UK citizen it falsely accused of being a "fanatical terrorist"

     2004

- UK actor Jimmy Nail faces legal costs of £200,000 after gaining £30,000 damages against News of the World

- NZ$780,000 award to former police officers Bryan Rowe, Wayne Idour and Peter Woods in action against Independent Newspapers (Sunday Star-Times) and columnist Rosemary McLeod

- News of the World apologises and pays damages to high-profile Spanish journalist Ana Garcia-Sineriz Alonso over publication of wrongly identified "raunchy photo"

- London Sunday Telegraph apologises and pays "substantial" damages to web designer Adam Musa King over claims of suspected links to al-Qaida

- former Chelsea football boss Ken Bates awarded £9,000 damages plus costs in action against London Evening Standard

- Rowan Atkinson gains substantial damages from The Mail on Sunday and Daily Mail

- Celtic football club manager Martin O'Neill gains "substantial" damages from Scottish tabloid The Daily Record over 2003 claims he planned to quit the club

- London Daily Telegraph agrees to pay a five-figure sum to Barbara Cassani, head of London's Olympic bid, after it wrongly quoted her describing Tony Blair as "not that bright"

- Mohamed Al Fayed's Harrods left with estimated legal bill of £500,000 after losing libel case against Wall Street Journal

     2003

- John Cleese gains £13,500 in damages from London Evening Standard after what judge characterises as "manifestly vitriolic" and "unaccountably personal attack"

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