Kelvin MacKenzie, who was the editor of The Sun at the time of the Hillsborough tragedy and who wrote the headline, today offered his 'profuse apologies to the people of Liverpool for that headline'.
He added: 'It has taken more than two decades, 400,000 documents and a two-year inquiry to discover to my horror that it would have been far more accurate had I written the headline The Lies rather than The Truth. I published in good faith and I am sorry that it was so wrong.'
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I think I disagree, Neil.
Today I offer my profuse apologies to the people of Liverpool for that headline.
I too was totally misled.
Twenty three ago I was handed a piece of copy from a reputable news agency in Sheffield in which a senior police officer and a senior local MP were making serious allegations against fans in the stadium.
I had absolutely no reason to believe that these authority figures would lie and deceive over such a disaster.
As the Prime Minister has made clear these allegations were wholly untrue and were part of a concerted plot by police officers to discredit the supporters thereby shifting the blame for the tragedy from themselves.
It has taken more than two decades, 400,000 documents and a two-year inquiry to discover to my horror that it would have been far more accurate had I written the headline The Lies rather than The Truth.
I published in good faith and I am sorry that it was so wrong.
Kelvin MacKenzie.
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Rather than apologising for his total lack of compassion and sensitivity in the aftermath of such an appalling tragedy, MacKenzie chooses to attempt to justify his reasons for running the story.
Even if what he was told was true, he still shouldn't have run the story.
Having heard and read MacKenzie, I can understand why he has waited until the last possible moment, to issue a
apologyjustification. It would have really pained him.