Telegraph pulls article on campaign group Stop Funding Hate after legal challenge
Telegraph removes article and pays legal costs after Stop Funding Hate challenges antisemitism amplification claim
The Telegraph has removed an article that accused campaign group Stop funding Hate of amplifying antisemitic posts, after the group launched legal action.
The newspaper has also agreed to cover Stop Funding Hate’s legal costs. The article appeared online on 22 March and in the Sunday Telegraph the following day under the headline: “Stop Funding Hate campaign group accused of amplifying ‘anti-Semites’.”
Stop Funding Hate, founded in 2016, campaigns for ethical advertising and urges brands to withdraw from platforms it considers to be fuelling division. It has long targeted outlets including GB News, the Mail, and The Sun. The group praised former Daily Express editor Gary Jones in 2018 for “detoxifying” the paper’s brand and softened its stance accordingly.
The now-pulled Telegraph article claimed the group “failed to act when Jewish people are the target of hatred on its own social media count”. However, Stop Funding Hate said it was not shown the alleged posts and therefore could not verify or remove them.
The group added that it has not seen any evidence of engaging with antisemitic accounts, and said it regularly removes third-party comments from platforms like Facebook where possible.
Legal representatives were instructed at the start of last week, and by Friday the Telegraph had agreed to remove the article and pay the group’s legal fees, though without accepting liability.
Stop Funding Hate said: “It’s a fundamental principle that Stop Funding Hate opposes all forms of hate, including antisemitism, and that the campaign must be inclusive of people from all communities.”
Lawyers acting for the group are also understood to be in touch with GB News over its discussion of the disputed article on two of its programmes.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
