Thursday, March 28

This is how the Daily Star made the story of the lettuce that “won” Liz Truss


Who exactly is in power in the UK right now? In terms of global attention from world leaders, news coverage, and a solid track record of political success, the answer could be a rotting lettuce named Lizzy, owned by the tabloid. Daily Star.

Liz Truss and the triumph of mediocrity

Know more

The fast-turning veggie, which emerged victorious from a showdown with Liz Truss over who would last the longest, is in a domestic residence at an undisclosed location, according to the tabloid’s deputy editor, Jon Livesey. This Thursday night, her image was projected on the facade of Parliament, in a sign that the takeover of lettuce in politics is complete.

“I can’t divulge what exactly, but there are more plans for lettuce,” says Livesey.

As Truss’s leadership began to implode last week, tabloid workers were in a brainstorming session discussing how best to report on his shaky grip on power. Livesey’s colleague Denis Mann had read an article of The Economist that compared the mandate of the prime minister with the life of a common lettuce.

Although the articles of The Economist are not signed by a particular journalist, the executive editor, Andrew Palmer, confirmed that he was responsible for the original comparison, noting that it was a “strange way to end a career”.

The chief editor of Daily StarJon Clark seized on the idea and quickly adopted it.

“In every conversation, we try to think of how to have fun with it. That is our place, that is how we see our work. With the political issue we are not anti-conservative, or anti-labor, we are just anti-idiot, ”says Livesey.

“If the people who are in power act in a way that we think is worth making fun of, then we will be on top of them. In this case and in several others in recent weeks it was a fixed shot.

A reporter was sent to Tesco [cadena de supermercados inglesa] to spend 60 pence (68 cents) on an iceberg lettuce with an expected shelf life of up to 10 days. Bookmakers were called in to offer tips on whether the lettuce or Truss would last longer. As part of trying to fit into a multimedia world, they made the decision to launch a YouTube live stream of its decomposition, with the lettuce entrusted to the care of social media video editor Edward Keeble, who took the vegetable home with him. House.

The audience grew quickly, and Keeble added googly eyes, a wig, drinks, and a supply of Greggs sausage rolls. [cadena de panaderĂ­as inglesa]while the lettuce was on a table next to a photo of the prime minister.

“It must be recognized that the person in charge of getting the lettuce and taking care of it has contributed a lot and has maintained interest. Everything from Saturday night disco lights to the ProPlus [pastillas para el cansancio] and the Iran-Bru [refresco]Livesey said.

Although the Daily Star often promoted far-right groups under its former owner Richard Desmond, it has changed management since it was bought in 2018 by the Reach publishing house – which also owns the Mirror and the Express-. Instead, the Daily Star has taken a roguish approach to politics. Although the print newspaper’s sales continue to decline, screenshots of its front pages – repeatedly targeting Boris Johnson and his former chief of staff Dominic Cummings – regularly go viral.

His lettuce, in a long tradition of British tabloid shenanigans, has captivated media outlets around the world that do not have a similar attitude towards politics. She has appeared in Washington Post, New York Times and on television in Spain, Italy, Iceland, Singapore, Indonesia and Argentina. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev took time out of his role in the Ukraine invasion to tweet “congratulations to the lettuce.”

Livesey says the stunt “really caught the mood and the sentiment of the nation” and it worked because it made everyone laugh “from an academic to a seven-year-old in school.”

He also expresses his relief at the fact that the Daily Star I didn’t have to come up with any more lettuce puns, since the jokes were getting weaker.

Asked if the tabloid had resorted to any dishonest tactic to prolong the life of the vegetable, Livesey denies doping it. But he does say that he learned a lot about the best way to make lettuce live longer over the past week.

“Apparently putting it on ice makes it worse. Room temperature is the way to go,” she says.


Translation of Lara Lema





www.eldiario.es