Camila Batmanghelidjh Is Shooting the Messengers Who Helped
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NEWS VOICES TV IQ BUSINESS SPORT MONDAY 2-27 12-16 28-29 30-37 38-40 44-55 i 10 AUGUST 2015 39 on Media Media Monday Diary IAN BURRELL Camila Batmanghelidjh is shooting Sun keeps the faith in face of the messengers who helped her super-injunction The football season is back and so is the s the roof caved in on month revealed that the Cabinet “super-injunction”, Kids Company last week, Office was withholding funding something that was its flamboyant founder from Kids Company unless thought to have ended blamed the demise on Batmanghelidjh stepped down. with the legal own goal “rumour-mongering civil She went on a defensive media scored by Ryan Giggs Aservants, ill-spirited ministers and blitz. But another story reported four years ago when he the media”. In interviews, Camila that the Metropolitan Police’s was identified online as a Batmanghelidjh said she’d become Sexual Offences, Exploitation serial love cheat. The Sun “a football for the media” and been and Child Abuse unit was probing on Sunday’s attempts to subjected to “trial by media”. allegations of criminal activity on publish juicy details of a These were strange words for the charity’s premises. This was the celebrity’s affair with a someone who had been lionised revelation that broke the back of an married sportsman have by journalists, her status elevated organisation that for 19 years had been thwarted by the to that of a British Mother Teresa done considerable good. High Court. – providing a platform from which Yentob insisted, in a show The tabloid’s sister she skilfully harvested huge financial of defiance onChannel 4 News, paper, The Times, saw a contributions. that “there is not financial religious story, quoting If the media did not exactly make mismanagement” at Kids Mrs Justice Laing’s Kids Company, it at least created Company. He admitted making a observation that “few its founder’s immense public call to Newsnight and turning up people, other than profile. “Build them up, then knock David Cameron and Camila Batmanghelidjh of Kids Company in 2010 GETTY at the offices of the BBC Radio 4 adherents to strict them down” is said to be a trait Today programme before 8am, religious codes, could of the British. On this occasion, scandal, ran a piece in The Oldie aligned to publications on the when Batmanghelidjh was being rationally consider” there Batmanghelidjh’s sideswipe in 2014. It asked questions of Kids political right. But Batmanghelidjh interviewed. But he also pointed out was a “public interest” was unconvincing. Blaming the Company’s use of a £200,000 has rightist credentials. She gave the BBC’s coverage showed he had in the affair. The Sun media has long been a convenient donation from a widow, Joan parliamentary evidence in 2006 no control over its journalism. on Sunday would not explanation for any woe. Today, Woolard. Batmanghelidjh wrote claiming black mothers were prone It was Batmanghelidjh’s normally be considered a in the aftermath of the Leveson to The Oldie’s then editor, Richard to levels of “rejection and cruelty” decision to pull the plug. She must religious text. inquiry, it’s a potent message in Ingrams, demanding he “repair” towards their men and boys. have realised she would attract attracting public sympathy. the “incredibly damaging narrative” The academic Peter Beresford, scrutiny. But, despite the enormous The history of the reporting of – an action that spurred Goslett on. writing in The Guardian, said he had donations, the charity hadn’t put Batmanghelidjh’s problems does His next piece was rejected by shared a stage with Batmanghelidjh in place the financial reserves to not support her inference that it two newspapers and a magazine. and “she told me about the high weather a media storm. was driven by a political agenda, He believes this was linked to priority she gave to being in close The outcome of the investigations or a conspiracy. The first journalist the personal connections of touch with the press and the media”. will reveal the seriousness of the to sound alarm bells was Harriet Batmanghelidjh, who is said to have She had an extraordinarily well- problems. Batmanghelidjh is Sergeant, who spent time with Kids “mesmerised” David Cameron and connected chairman in Alan Yentob. seeking to blame a media conscious Company, and in 2012 wrote a book, won of £37m in public funding. The media’s love affair with Kids of accusations that it had turned a Among the Hoods. She questioned In February The Spectator Company has soured. At Buzzfeed, blind eye to hacking, to Savile and the number of children whom Kids published Goslett’s piece, “The reporter Alan White had held to the banking crisis. For too long, One they made Company claimed to be helping, Trouble with Kids Company”. It suspicions since 2008, when he was too many journalists preferred to earlier: why bet although she didn’t name the charity alleged the charity’s statistic of researching London gangs. At BBC speak to the charity’s founder than because she admired the way it kept having 36,000 clients was inflated by 2’s Newsnight, policy editor Chris report on Britain’s poorest children on ‘Bake Off’? deprived children in the public eye. including parents and school staff. Cook arrived from the Financial – and missed a story right under Then Miles Goslett, a freelance Goslett concluded it “now acts as a Times last year with his own notes. their noses. News that the sixth series journalist who won great credit drain on well-meaning donations”. The pair teamed up. of The Great British Bake for his work on the Jimmy Savile Both Goslett and Sergeant are Their first investigation last Twitter: @iburrell Off achieved record first night ratings will be a relief to BBC Worldwide which, as the cash- When you watch Ribena’s new clear? Well, not if you actually and other sugary drinks aimed strapped organisation’s television advert, a few things watch the new ad – fast-paced, at children will be pulled from commercial arm, is under Claire will probably cross your mind joyful and very kid-friendly – but shelves from September. pressure to generate – mainly that it is very colourful thoroughly understandable if Hardly surprising then that more funds. Beale and there are a lot of cute you consider the current climate brands like Ribena are hastily The BBC 2 show pulled animals doing surreal things in surrounding the marketing of trying to distance themselves an opening audience on marketing it. But what’s not immediately sugary drinks. Food and drinks from the kids market; it’s crucial of 9.3 million, up from obvious is that the new campaign manufacturers have been under that they maintain shelf space 7.2 million last year, and branding represents a desperate change fire from healthy eating pressure in the major supermarkets and amid reports of possible in strategy for a brand under groups like War on Sugar for begin to grow their consumer insider betting over pressure from the supermarket years. Yet, although there have base beyond their heartland this year’s winner. I’m The kids are giant Tesco. been some modest changes in market of mums with kids. surprised Ladbrokes, Ribena is trying to disassociate how foods are manufactured and Labelling their new ad which has now closed its not all right itself from the kids market and labelled, most brands have balked campaign as aimed at young book, offered odds on a reposition as a drink for young at anything likely to dent taste- adults might seem a little like pre-recorded TV contest for makers of adults. Just in case you were in appeal or profits. post-rationalisation, but this is when plenty of people any doubt, Ribena has said that Then, last month, Tesco turned just the beginning of what will must know the outcome. its new target market is family- health tsar and announced that it have to be a very real shift. The story will add sugary drinks free adults, adults at the pre- was withdrawing sugary drinks to the hype, but BBC Next week: Danny Rogers family stage of life, adults who from its children’s juice ranges. Claire Beale is the global Worldwide must protect on PR and advertising have not yet had children. Is that Meaning Ribena, Capri-Sun editor-in-chief of Campaign the reputation of one of its most valuable brands..