Daily Mail: issue a full apology to Dr Peiris and Dr Aderin-Pocock
415 Comments
M
Magda Michna
12 years ago
It is remarkable how much progress these outstanding scientists have made in the understanding of our universe...an how little progress (some) human beings have made in behaviour.
C
Cathryn Trott
12 years ago
A public apology is essential here. Absolutely disgusting beahviour towards two excellent scientists.
H
Helen Christie
12 years ago
This made me extremely angry and I look forward to a public apology.
D
Dr Kate Lancaster
12 years ago
Discusting behaviour from the Daily Mail - sadly unsurprising
D
Dr Laurie Stras
12 years ago
Extraordinarily ill-informed, ill-considered, ill-mannered. Par for the course for the Daily Mail.
Y
Yafeng Shan
12 years ago
A full apology is necessary!
S
Simon Goodwin
12 years ago
This is awful even by the Daily Mail's low standards...
M
Mike Dworetsky
12 years ago
The Daily Mail's "apology" is too pathetic for words. Let us have a proper apology and acknowledgement of Mr Hardcastle's error.
D
Donna Guthrie, Women's Officer, Black Activists Rising Against Cuts
12 years ago
As a Black woman I was inspired when I watched these two eminent scientists on Newsnight and so am appalled at this attack on their standing. It is of grave concern that the Daily Mail continues to propagate racism and sexism of this nature on an almost daily basis and this must not go unchallenged. We must not allow people to be treated as second class citizens, we must unite together and oppose racism and sexism every time we witness it. Equality is a right, not a privilege. And everyone has a responsibility to fight discrimination not just those on the receiving end.
T
Tom Smith
12 years ago
PhD Student and PGTA, UCL
D
Daniel Machado
12 years ago
Ephraim Hardcastle showing us in full technicolor why the Daily Mail is the bastion of bigotry and intolerance. Simply put, his commentary makes me very angry. I am dumbfounded at how much racism, misogyny and anti-intellectualism can be compressed into two sentences. I saw the Newsnight interview, and it was nice to see scientists with some emotion and genuine excitement on the TV, ('giggly' or not)! Far from being a negative thing, having both women and people from diverse ethnic backgrounds is empowering and should be celebrated, particularly since the scientific arena is still lacking in both, but we're trying hard to improve the situation. Comments like this undermine those efforts. The literal whitewashing of all the scientists that took part in the discovery, as well as labelling them all as male, is so far across the line so as to beggars belief, not to mention an incomprehensibly massive distortion of the truth. Furthermore, the implication that because the discovery had been made exclusively by white men (which isn't true of course), somehow bars anyone who isn't also a white man from commenting is absolutely ludicrous. These women were chosen to comment based on merit: Hiranya is a leading scientist in the field (and will have a comprehensive understanding of the discovery), and Maggie because she's the new, recognisable face of the Sky at Night, and her work is in part, communicating astronomical science to the public. The fact that they both happen to be women and non-white is incidental, but still positive to see. Comments like this should be confined to a bygone age and I'm astonished that they can surface in 2014.
D
David Colquhoun
12 years ago
The treatment of two top rate scientists by the Mail's columnist was a total disgrace. A formal apology is called for.
T
Tim Colbourn
12 years ago
why are people still buying the Daily Mail?
K
kristin liabo
12 years ago
Is it even possible, in this day and age??
H
Haim Bresheeth
12 years ago
If you do not issue an apology, then the urgent need for a proper body to police the worse ravages of the British press could not be clearer!
C
Claire Gardner
12 years ago
This sort of maligning women and not recognising their true worth as academics is appalling and certainly deserves a full apology from tthe newspaper
P
Philip Schofield
12 years ago
Symptomatic of the culture at the Daily Mail.
S
Sean Wallis
12 years ago
UCL UCU president, London Region HE secretary and UCU NEC member
I
Iain McKay
12 years ago
The Daily Mail is a disgrace at the best of time, but this is a new low. It is important to combat oppression wherever and whenever it appears and the struggle against sexism and racism still needs to be fought. So it is important that the paper issues a full and clear apology.
H
Helen Roberts
12 years ago
Listen to the podcast of Maggie Aderin Pocock doing desert island discs and you too will want to become an astronomer - clever, amusing, modest... Those of us at UCL are lucky to have colleagues like these two who also encourage other women
It is remarkable how much progress these outstanding scientists have made in the understanding of our universe...an how little progress (some) human beings have made in behaviour.
A public apology is essential here. Absolutely disgusting beahviour towards two excellent scientists.
This made me extremely angry and I look forward to a public apology.
Discusting behaviour from the Daily Mail - sadly unsurprising
Extraordinarily ill-informed, ill-considered, ill-mannered. Par for the course for the Daily Mail.
A full apology is necessary!
This is awful even by the Daily Mail's low standards...
The Daily Mail's "apology" is too pathetic for words. Let us have a proper apology and acknowledgement of Mr Hardcastle's error.
As a Black woman I was inspired when I watched these two eminent scientists on Newsnight and so am appalled at this attack on their standing. It is of grave concern that the Daily Mail continues to propagate racism and sexism of this nature on an almost daily basis and this must not go unchallenged. We must not allow people to be treated as second class citizens, we must unite together and oppose racism and sexism every time we witness it. Equality is a right, not a privilege. And everyone has a responsibility to fight discrimination not just those on the receiving end.
PhD Student and PGTA, UCL
Ephraim Hardcastle showing us in full technicolor why the Daily Mail is the bastion of bigotry and intolerance. Simply put, his commentary makes me very angry. I am dumbfounded at how much racism, misogyny and anti-intellectualism can be compressed into two sentences. I saw the Newsnight interview, and it was nice to see scientists with some emotion and genuine excitement on the TV, ('giggly' or not)! Far from being a negative thing, having both women and people from diverse ethnic backgrounds is empowering and should be celebrated, particularly since the scientific arena is still lacking in both, but we're trying hard to improve the situation. Comments like this undermine those efforts. The literal whitewashing of all the scientists that took part in the discovery, as well as labelling them all as male, is so far across the line so as to beggars belief, not to mention an incomprehensibly massive distortion of the truth. Furthermore, the implication that because the discovery had been made exclusively by white men (which isn't true of course), somehow bars anyone who isn't also a white man from commenting is absolutely ludicrous. These women were chosen to comment based on merit: Hiranya is a leading scientist in the field (and will have a comprehensive understanding of the discovery), and Maggie because she's the new, recognisable face of the Sky at Night, and her work is in part, communicating astronomical science to the public. The fact that they both happen to be women and non-white is incidental, but still positive to see. Comments like this should be confined to a bygone age and I'm astonished that they can surface in 2014.
The treatment of two top rate scientists by the Mail's columnist was a total disgrace. A formal apology is called for.
why are people still buying the Daily Mail?
Is it even possible, in this day and age??
If you do not issue an apology, then the urgent need for a proper body to police the worse ravages of the British press could not be clearer!
This sort of maligning women and not recognising their true worth as academics is appalling and certainly deserves a full apology from tthe newspaper
Symptomatic of the culture at the Daily Mail.
UCL UCU president, London Region HE secretary and UCU NEC member
The Daily Mail is a disgrace at the best of time, but this is a new low. It is important to combat oppression wherever and whenever it appears and the struggle against sexism and racism still needs to be fought. So it is important that the paper issues a full and clear apology.
Listen to the podcast of Maggie Aderin Pocock doing desert island discs and you too will want to become an astronomer - clever, amusing, modest... Those of us at UCL are lucky to have colleagues like these two who also encourage other women