Action over Fake STAR newspaper posters

Johannesburg - Detectives are hoping that CCTV footage will identify the culprit or culprits behind a series of bogus Star newspaper posters that appeared on Parkhurst’s Seventh Avenue.

The sensational posters carried headlines such as “Mandela family ‘Voetsek Zuma’ ”, “ANC is racist says Zuma”, and “Zuma hates the Guptas”.

When the posters were brought to The Star’s attention on Friday afternoon, a team was sent from the paper to remove them immediately.

A criminal case of malicious damage to property was opened at Parkview police station.

The Star’s attorneys, Webber Wentzel, are investigating possible legal options that are open to the newspaper, including civil and criminal sanctions.

Lawyer Dario Milo will pursue the matter with the police to ensure that those responsible will face the harshest consequences.
bogus posters

Detectives are hoping that CCTV footage will identify the culprit or culprits behind a series of bogus Star newspaper posters that appeared on Parkhursts Seventh Avenue.

He also said CCTV footage would be central in identifying the suspects.

The Star’s editor, Makhudu Sefara, visited the area later on Friday to investigate, but found no one who knew anything.

The posters are now in the possession of the police.

Sefara said on Sunday that he was repulsed by the posters.

“We can perhaps draw perverse pleasure from the fact that when these spoofers wanted a strong brand to abuse, they settled on this iconic paper.

“But,” he warned, “Whoever they are, they must be hunted down and made to face the music. What they did is by no means funny. People’s names and reputations are at stake.”

Sefara said it was a relief that many readers realised that the posters were bogus, because they were poorly designed.

He was concerned that, if this spoofing continued, it might introduce confusion among readers.

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE:

The masthead used is oversized, and therefore slightly different from our normal posters. Unlike our posters, they do not have the following:

* Date.

* Name of the printing company.

* Address of the printing company.

* Advice for potential subscribers.

* Border around the poster.

[email protected]

Source: The Star
http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/action-over-fake-star-posters-1.1526040?utm_medium=[%27facebook%27]&utm_source=dlvr.it#.UaxNPJz4J24

Pictures: Dumisani Sibeko.

Garyvdh said:

“We can perhaps draw perverse pleasure from the fact that when these spoofers wanted a strong brand to abuse, they settled on this iconic paper.

Click to expand...

Not for very much longer, the way The Star is going lately...

Group says "Don't believe what you read"

A group calling themselves the "Bogus Boys" is asking South Africans not to "believe what you read in the papers", The Star reported on Tuesday.

The outfit was behind last week's bogus The Star newspaper posters.

In an anonymous document sent to the newspaper's editor Makhudu Sefara by fast mail, the Bogus Boys apologised for the posters' poor design and promised to use a "more professional graphic artist".

A 10-point manifesto purported to explain the reasons why they had targeted The Star, according to the report.

The group's pamphlet reportedly began with "You should not believe what you read in the papers", and then stated that The Star was "under threat from Sekunjalo", the consortium buying Independent Newspapers' South African operations.

"They must immediately reveal whether their R2 billion bid is being bankrolled by the ANC," the Bogus Boys said in point three.

The spoofers then rambled on about the "outrageous antics of the ANC", fallen struggle heroes, Marikana, the Guptas, and how newspapers indoctrinated South African citizens "with nonsense".

Sefara said the Bogus Boys should have used a legal platform so that their issues could be addressed.

"It's unfortunate that they have opted to use their spoof posters to raise their concerns," he was quoted as saying.

Some of the fake posters put up in Parkhurst on Friday read: "ANC Murdered Marikana Miners".

A criminal case was opened at the Parkview police station but according to Sefara police had not found anything yet.


Source : Sapa /gq/fg/jk
Date : 11 Jun 2013 09:28 OrigID : LP695148

I'm beginning to think this may be a publicity stunt by The Star.

This is the crap that is important in this country...

Well the people who have been agitating for Sekunjalo to reveal its backers are hardly "bogus" or anonymous, they even engaged in a twitter war with Dr Iqbal Surve. They are well-known media bosses. Put 1+1 together.

Garyvdh said:

What they did is by no means funny. People’s names and reputations are at stake.”

Click to expand...

I think it is damn funny. Kind of a old fashioned Haibo.