Responding to reports that Sun columnist Kelvin Mackenzie will not be returning to the paper after being suspended for writing an article which included slurs against the footballer Ross Barkley and the city of Liverpool, Hacked Off asks why the Sun’s editor is dodging his own responsibility.Commenting on this morning’s reports, Hacked Off’s Joint Executive Director Dr Evan Harris said,

“Kelvin MacKenzie is paid to write down his extreme and often vile opinions - but it was the Sun’s editor Tony Gallagher who published them. Either he read the copy and approved it, or he failed to do so and let it through. In either case, he did not do his job and should be held accountable. “Allowing Mackenzie, who is already notorious for his abusive Hillsborough coverage at the Sun, column inches to place fresh attacks on the people of Liverpool, especially in the run up to the Hillsborough anniversary, demonstrates a total collapse of editorial responsibility. For Mr Gallagher to escape any sanction or accept any accountability himself demonstrates the rotten culture at the top of The Sun - blame anyone else in order to protect the Editor and his executives.“We will never know how much MacKenzie is being paid to ‘go quietly’ but given the Sun’s strategy of using exorbitant pay-offs to avoid accountability for senior executives, we can speculate that it is significant”. 

Notes: Hacked Off is the campaign for a free and accountable press, and we work with the victims of press abuse to achieve those aims.For press enquiries and interviews: Email press@hackinginquiry.org or call Nathan Sparkes on 07554 665940