The Daily Mail published an article on August 6 featuring photographs of a woman the publication claimed was Meg White, the former drummer of The White Stripes, presenting the images as the first public pictures of the musician in 17 years. The newspaper later removed the story from its website without issuing a correction or editorial note explaining the removal.
According to sources who spoke with the Guardian, the Daily Mail had actually photographed a different person who is a friend of White’s. The publication followed the woman without her knowledge and published more than a dozen images showing her leaving a vehicle and socializing outside a restaurant. When approached by the Mail’s reporter Joe Hutchison, the woman laughed and stated that the publication had made a mistake about her identity. Hutchison nonetheless concluded the woman was White based on her polite response of “thank you” after the reporter complimented The White Stripes’ music.
Multiple individuals familiar with White confirmed the error to the Guardian, including a music label executive who worked on White Stripes releases and a member of a Detroit-area band. They stated that neither White nor the woman photographed had consented to being followed or featured in media coverage. Singer-songwriter Karen Elson, the former spouse of White Stripes frontman Jack White, posted on social media calling the Mail’s approach “reckless and cruel.”
Ethics experts criticized the publication’s conduct. Dan Axelrod, chair of the ethics committee at the Society of Professional Journalists, stated the Mail “followed none of the most basic principles of journalism” and noted that private citizens deserve greater protection of their personal information than public figures. Erin Meyers, a communication professor at Oakland University, stated the woman deserved at minimum a correction and full apology. The Daily Mail and Hutchison declined to respond to requests for comment, and White’s representatives did not reply to inquiries.
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