The Mail & Guardian - South Africa December 12, 2009
Miss World Ltd fails in attempt to gag M&G
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
An attempt by Miss World Ltd to gag the Mail & Guardian was on Saturday defeated in the South Gauteng High Court.
The organisers of the Miss World pageant, which is due to take place in Johannesburg on Saturday night, had sought in an urgent interdict -- filed late on Friday night -- to force the newspaper to remove two stories from its website.
Counsel for Miss World Ltd argued that the stories would cause irreparable commercial damage to the organisation if a global audience was exposed to them on the day of the pageant.
Judge Rami Mathopo disagreed, repeatedly pointing out that stories concerning the links of Miss Indonesia to alleged cult, The Family International (aka the Children of God) had been in the public domain for some time.
Although argument did not dwell on the merits, he could find no problem, either, with the second story complained of, which dealt with the ballooning costs of the pageant incurred by the City of Johannesburg. On the basis that urgency could not be established, he struck the case from the roll, awarding costs to the Mail & Guardian, which was represented by Danny Berger SC.
Said M&G editor-in-chief Nic Dawes: "I am delighted by the outcome, which is a further demonstration of the strength of our legal dispensation in matters of this kind. I am frustrated and disappointed, however, that we had to go to court at all. This was a blatant attempt by Miss World Ltd to intimidate us by threatening damages running into hundreds of millions of pounds sterling, and it was clear to me at the outset that they had no case whatsoever. [see Miss World press release below]
"I have offered the pageant organisers right of reply in our newspaper and on our website, which they have yet to take up. That offer stands. I hope that they will now appreciate that freedom of speech means more than the freedom to say you support children's charities, world peace, and thin thighs."
This article was found at:
http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-12-12-miss-world-ltd-fails-in-attempt-to-gag-mg
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The Mail & Guardian - South Africa December 12, 2009
Miss World Limited takes aim at M&G
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
Miss World Limited has brought an application for an urgent interdict against the Mail & Guardian stemming from two articles published on Friday.
The M&G reported the 2009 pageant will cost the City of Johannesburg at least R90-million -- double the R45-million the city has publicised.
One of 112 contestants will be crowned Miss World on Saturday night at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand.
The M&G is in possession of an agreement signed by Graham Cooke of World Awards Limited and Lindiwe Mahlangu-Kwele, when she was still Mahlangu, the chief executive officer of Johannesburg Tourism Company (JTC), in October 2008.
In terms of the contract JTC agreed to pay a hosting fee of £6-million (about R73-million at the current exchange rate). The JTC will foot the bill for a host of logistical, travel and accommodation arrangements that will send the total soaring to at least R90-million.
Sex cult
The M&G also reported that one of the Miss World contestants belongs to an organisation directly linked to an American religious cult with a litany of child and sexual abuse scandals clouding its past.
Following her national coronation, Miss Indonesia, 23-year-old Kerenina Sunny Halim, admitted to the Jakarta Globe that she is a member of The Family International, a “non-governmental organisation” for which she did humanitarian work in Aceh after the Asian tsunami in 2004.
Miss World Limited believes it will suffer losses as a result of the fallout from the articles.
The M&G is opposing the action.
M&G editor Nic Dawes said the interdict was a “brazen attempt by an international corporation to intimidate the local press’s right to freedom of expression and its constitutional duty to report news in the public interest”.
Miss World Limited declined to clarify its relationship to Cook, but he appears to acting as the company’s agent.
An earlier version of this article said Cook owned Miss World Limited. Miss World Limited tells us this is not the case. The error is regretted.
This article was found at:
http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-12-12-miss-world-limited-takes-aim-at-mg
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December 11, 2009
Press Release by Miss World Ltd
Miss World Limited, the owner of the Miss World Pageant, deplores the publication by the Mail and Guardian, a South African newspaper and online publisher, of certain articles concerning the Miss World Pageant.
The first article appears with the front-page headline “Miss Indonesia linked to ‘child abuse cult’. It is reported that Miss Indonesia was born to parents who are members of The Family International, a religious group which has scandals in its past.
The innuendo in the article is that Miss Indonesia and the Miss World Pageant is tainted by such scandals, which is entirely untrue.
The second article appears under the headline “Pageant Debacle” and contains allegations of excessive spending by Johannesburg, the City hosting the 2009 Miss World Pageant. The report is misleading. It contains the statement that World Awards Limited owns the Miss World Pageant, which is false. Miss World Limited owns The Miss World Pageant.
The Mail and Guardian has ambushed the Pageant with these publications on the eve of the pageant. Our company, Miss World Limited was not even given an opportunity of commenting on the second article.
The Mail and Guardian has besmirched the reputation of a young woman without any justification for doing so, other than to generate sales of its paper. It has failed to check its facts and did not give us a chance to answer the case it made against us in the media.
We have demanded of the editor, Nic Dawes, that he withdraw the publication of these articles on the web and publish a retraction. He refused to do so. The glare of publicity surrounding the Miss World Pageant will exacerbate the injury to the reputation of Miss Indonesia and this is something that the Mail and Guardian clearly does not care about.
We are appalled at this gutter-journalism. The Miss World Pageant is designed to select young women as role-models for their generations in their respective countries.
We have given instructions to our South African attorneys, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, to institute legal proceedings on an urgent basis to protect our company and all contestants.
This article was found at:
http://www.hectorjoaquin.com/2009/12/press-release-by-miss-world-ltd.html
Press Release by Miss World Ltd
Miss World Ltd fails in attempt to gag M&G
Miss World Limited takes aim at M&G
Count down for Miss World title begins
Miss Indonesia Subject of Legal Battle
RELATED ARTICLES ON THIS BLOG
Miss World 2009 contestant, Miss Indonesia, is a member of evangelical cult with history of child abuse
On eve of Miss World pageant South African paper exposes Miss Indonesia's cult connections
The Family International http://religiouschildabuse.blogspot.ca/p/family-international.html
That page contains links to news and blog articles concerning The Family International, formerly known as the Children of God.
For insider information on The Family International from former members visit these two websites:
http://www.exfamily.org/index.htm
http://www.xfamily.org/index.php/Main_Page
ALSO SEE:
A RESPONSE TO JAMES D. CHANCELLOR'S LIFE IN THE FAMILY: AN ORAL HISTORY OF THE CHILDREN OF GOD
Secret letter claims Family International leader caused deadliest air crash in history
Who is the Real Anti-Christian: the Atheist or the Fundamentalist Christian?
Family International a.k.a. Children of God: Once dismissed as 'sex cult,' tiny church launches image makeover
Denied an education in The Family International abuse survivor explains how she wrote her first novel
Novelist describes how she survived childhood of abuse and neglect growing up in The Family International, aka, Children of God
Author's debut novel draws on personal experiences growing up in abusive Children of God cult, a.k.a. The Family International
UK survivor confirms mother's fears about abusive cult The Family International that tried to recruit her teen daughter
Folie a deux: the insane prophets of the Seventh-day Adventists and The Family International
Gaddafi, The Family International and the Antichrist
Fugitive leaders of The Family International found hiding in Mexico after former members sought psychological help
Judge who convicted man for child sex blames his childhood in The Family International for skewed view on sexuality
This Is What Wolves In Sheep's Clothing Look Like
The Catholic Church and The Family International: popes and prophets who protect pedophiles
What do Pat Robertson and The Family International cult have in common?
Kings and Queens of Cults
Child sacrifice: a review of the documentary All God's Children - the ultimate sacrifice
Miss World 2009 contestant, Miss Indonesia, is a member of evangelical cult with history of child abuse
On eve of Miss World pageant South African paper exposes Miss Indonesia's cult connections
Miss World organizers fail to legally gag Mail & Guardian over article exposing Miss Indonesia's cult connections
Enslaved by the cult of sex...for 25 years
Castleconnell area was base for child sex cult, claims victim
Violent sexual abuse, brainwashing and neglect: What it's like to grow up in a religious sect
The Making of a Twisted Sexual Theology: Q+A on "Jesus Freaks"
Underside of cult life emerges
The offspring of 'Jesus Freaks'
The Tragic Legacy of the Children of God
Not Without My Sister [book review]
Cult Activity in Uganda?
Cult Claims To Be "Living by the law of love"
Children of God: Haunted By a Dark Past
Child-Custody Deal Favors Escapee of Notorious Cult 'The Family' aka The Children of God
Cambodian NGO exposed as a charity front for The Family International cult
Member of San Francisco pop duo, Girls, is a survivor of notorious Children of God cult, a.k.a. The Family International
Survivor of abusive Children of God cult, Chris Owens of Girls is one cool musician
Teen died agonizing death from ruptured appendix while parents, relatives and church elders did nothing but pray for 3 days
Self-proclaimed prophets: Phillip Garrido, David Berg and Joseph Smith
Another self-proclaimed prophet who terrorized and sexually abused his cult followers
Child sexual abusers commonly turn to religion to rationalize their behavior
Tony Alamo controls followers from prison, but David Berg controls The Family cult members from the grave
Irish TV exposes cults in Ireland, interviews survivor of abuse in Children of God, now The Family International
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