The Showmen’s Guild has sent a strongly worded complaint to Sky News about footage of the recent Hull Fair shown in their report on child grooming gangs in Hull.
The letter, from President Philip Paris, complains that Jason Farrell’s report, which aired on Monday 24 November, featured extensive footage of Hull Fair despite the fair having nothing to do with the content of the report.
Monday’s report was the start of a series to run over this week where Sky News presents testimonies and evidence from women who allege that they were abused as children of a group of men operating in the city.
President Paris’ letter states that the inclusion of the fairground in the report “was gratuitous and completely irrelevant” and that “it gave the impression to any viewer, that the fair was inextricably involved with the story … (and) is responsible for propagating the child grooming”.
“It would be an easy conclusion to draw … that the fair and its operators, Showmen and Showwomen from the Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain, are involved with and / or responsible for and / or acquiescing in, facilitating child grooming to take place” the letter goes on to say.
The Showmen’s Guild have made particular demands of Sky News, including removing visual references to the fair, making an on-air explanation that the fair is “in no way connected with the story” and apologises both on-air and in writing to The Showmen’s Guild.
The Guild have received an automated reply from Sky News saying they will respond within 3 days.
You can read the full letter from the Showmen’s Guild here:
https://worldsfair.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Urgent-communication-re-Hull-Child-Grooming-package-to-Sky-News-Wednesday-24.11.21.pdf
Photo: Guild President Philip Paris at the opening of King’s Lynn Mart in 2020
