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A British Rag Had A Spy Posing As A Footman Inside The Royal Palace
In 2003, the tabloid Daily Mirror decided it was a good idea to commit minor treason by spying on the royal family. The paper sent an intern named Ryan Perry to infiltrate Buckingham Palace as a footman and report on any information that was in the public interest. So what royal secrets did he expose? Apparently the Queen is a bit obsessive about her cornflakes, Prince Edward plays hide and seek with a toy monkey, and the royals occasionally swear at the help. And it sure must be hard to pretend you're the British Woodward and Bernstein when your notebook includes details on how much marmalade her majesty's corgis like on their toast.
Erin Kohlenberg/Flickr"Day #7: Established communication with Sugar. Will attempt to recruit her after tomorrow's walkies."
When The Mirror started publishing every single invasion of privacy, the crown retaliated by seeking an injunction on the story and suing Perry. Fortunately for the snooper, he didn't have a criminal record or a cousin in al-Qaeda, so he could only be prosecuted for breaching his confidentiality clause. But The Mirror and its head editorial ghoul Piers Morgan denied any wrongdoing. They claimed they were justified, having exposed serious security flaws. It's a bit like your landlord claiming you should thank him for showing you how easy it is to install cameras in your bathroom.
Wanting to avoid further embarrassment, the queen quickly settled, dropping the charges if The Mirror stopped publishing details and paid legal fees to the tune of 25,000 pounds ($42,800). Morgan agreed ... while simultaneously bragging that he had already made a small fortune telling everyone the color of Prince Philip's pajamas.
But The Daily Mirror and Ryan Perry did make a single worthwhile contribution to investigative journalism: They exposed what a shit job being a royal footman is. Not only did readers find out it only pays a measly 11,881 pounds ($20,340) per year minus living expenses, but footmen also have to sleep in tiny rooms, share toilets, and are banned from walking in the middle of hallways to avoid wearing out the carpet. Who would have guessed that being the personal attendant to royalty was Britain's equivalent of being a greeter at Walmart?
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A Mexican TV Network Made Up A Child Earthquake Survivor
On September 19, 2017, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Mexico City, destroying dozens of buildings, wounding thousands, and killing hundreds. For days, rescue workers and volunteers scoured the rubble for people trapped. Enrique Rebsamen Elementary School collapsed, killing 21 children and five adults. But right as everyone began to lose hope, Televisa -- the biggest television network in the country -- reported that a 12-year-old girl named Frida Sofia had been found trapped under the debris.
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