Doctors still earn less than Mail columnists

On the Mail frontpage today is the shocking news that doctors, the people who are responsible for caring for people and treating illnesses, are still earning less than Daily Mail columnists, who are responsible for writing utter garbage such as “The Great Wheelie Bin Revolt is long overdue” and “Bring back Arlene Phillips or I won’t pay my licence fee“.

The Daily Mail “investigation” (issuing freedom of information requests to PCT’s) revealed that there is one doctor only earning £380,000, not even half of Richard Littlejohn’s salary. However as you delve further into the article, the Mail reveals they might not even be earning this much, as their “investigation” was so shoddy that they didn’t actually have the figures for GP’s salaries, just the figures which were paid to GP’s practices, a position clarified by the British Medical Association:

‘These figures don’t tally with statistics based on GPs’ tax returns.

‘Primary care trusts have information based on the amount of income a practice receives but this is not what GPs earn, as clearly there are many expenses such as staff and rent to be paid.’

Nevertheless the ever present rent-a-quote Taxpayers Alliance are on hand to add their outrage to the story, with their chairman Matthew Elliot demanding that all GP’s “pays and perks” are made public. Although he declined to make his own salary public, one can only presume that he feels it would be insulting to compare the salary of low-life scum such as himself to that of doctors.

Fortunately this story was so badly thrown together that even the Mail readers can see through it, with the best rated comments including:

I would prefer to read about this subject in another paper before drawing any conclusions. Daniel Martins’s reports in the last few days have shown themselves to be wildly sensationalised and flawed.

and

Utter rubbish! How you can print this is beyond me.

and

Your story is eye-catching but lacks substance. You stated, “The investigation found one GP earning £380,000 a year and a number pocketing more than £300,000”. Then went further to state, the sum included out-goings. Perhaps you expected the Surgery staff to work for free.
Stop this sensationalism and report facts.

I can only hope that, maybe, just maybe the readers of the Mail are finally realising what a sack of shit the paper really is. How it’s “investigative journalism” is no better than issuing a few FOI requests and printing misleading facts to fit it’s own agenda.

I won’t hold my breath, but at least not all is lost.