PEACHES GELDOF - TABLOID SLAMMED FOR 'SLOPPY' PEACHES GELDOF ARTICLE

TABLOID SLAMMED FOR 'SLOPPY' PEACHES GELDOF ARTICLE

An article which claimed Peaches Geldof received money for "showing up to parties" was guilty of "sloppy journalism", according to the press watchdog.

The tabloid published a front page story last September entitled Peaches: Spend the night with me for 5k, which alluded to the 19-year-old receiving payment for her "company" and "services".

Geldof's representatives complained to the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) over the piece, claiming the article made "allegations of a highly scandalous nature" by inaccurately suggesting that she accepted money for sex.

But while the PCC said the tabloid's story had "fallen well short of the high standards" of the editors' code of practice and was "all sloppy journalism", it did not order the front-page apology Geldof's lawyers had demanded.

A Daily Star apology printed on page two of the newspaper on February 23rd read: "We now accept that Peaches does not charge a fee to attend parties or events like London Fashion Week as was claimed in the article.

"We also apologise to Peaches for the implication in the headline that she provided services of a personal or sexual nature for the payment of a fee."

Her representatives said a more prominent apology was needed to redress the damage of the front-page story but the PCC ruled that as the front-page article "did not carry a specifically inaccurate claim" and because the main inaccuracy was printed on page five, a page two apology was "proportionate".