And finally to a grubby tabloid tale:
LARRY EMDUR: … Kate Ritchie’s private pain. Why the TV favourite is taking on the paparazzi after what she describes as a ‘shocking invasion’ of privacy.
- The Morning Show, Seven Network, 9 December, 2022
Last week popular actor turned radio host Kate Ritchie found herself targeted by this nasty Daily Mail hit job:
EXCLUSIVE: Kate Ritchie enters a mental health clinic … after she left her top-rating Nova radio show due to ‘stress’ when she was charged with drink driving
- Daily Mail Australia, 8 December, 2022
Yes, papped going into a Sydney clinic and then served up as news, with the Mail running 10 photos of Ritchie along with a ridiculous disclaimer that it was not suggesting she was there for treatment.
A few hours after the Mail story appeared, Ritchie ended up confirming the news, posting on social media that she’d had a “challenging” and stressful year and was seeking help for alcohol addiction.
And with that, the Daily Mail had the story it wanted:
Home and Away star Kate Ritchie admits she is in rehab for ‘an unhealthy reliance on alcohol’ …
- Daily Mail Australia, 8 December, 2022
Quoting from Ritchie’s Instagram statement:
As everyone would understand, this is a very big step for me to take. I want to sincerely thank everybody who is supporting me.'
- Daily Mail Australia, 8 December, 2022
But was that all Ritchie had to say? No.
There was another pointed paragraph — which the Daily Mail left out — where Kate Ritchie added:
It is a shocking invasion of my privacy that the Daily Mail, through their unrelenting stalking of me, has forced me to issue this public statement, in their blatant attempt to publicly shame me on a private health matter.
- Instagram, @kateritchieofficial, 8 December, 2022
Yep, fancy that. The Daily Mail, which is never shy of lifting copy from others, cut out Ritchie’s condemnation.
But they did not omit their readers’ disgust from comments on their Facebook page:
… this is pathetic putting this out. Shame on you.
- Julie Cole, comment on Facebook, Daily Mail Australia, 8 December, 2022
This article is so distasteful.
- Mat Duardo, comment on Facebook, Daily Mail Australia, 8 December, 2022
Leave the poor woman alone! Getting help for mental illness and or addiction is brave and HARD!
- Jayd Slater, comment on Facebook, Daily Mail Australia, 8 December, 2022
And on its website:
This is intrusive and inappropriate … Would like to see you called out on Mediawatch for this.
- Sharoonie, comment on Daily Mail Australia, 8 December, 2022
Consider it done.
We asked the Daily Mail why it didn’t report Kate Ritchie’s comments in full. We did not hear back.
