Hackers stop Guardian campaign

US CRACKERS have managed to do what governments, business people, and individuals have tried for years - get a British newspaper to stop printing things that they don't like.

The Grauniad miffed voters in Ohio by suggesting which way they should use their power as a swing state to influence the course of the presidential election.

The newspaper's website said letter writers were free to support either the Republican incumbent, US President George W. Bush, or Democratic challenger Senator John Kerry. But it noted a Guardian poll showed overwhelming support for Kerry.

The Guardian had invited its readers to contact voters in Clark County, Ohio, a swing state, about the importance of the November 2 election.

Within the first day, more than 3,000 readers logged on to the newspaper's Web site to obtain the name and address of an unaffiliated voter taken from electoral rolls.

By the time the news got over to the Americans, the campaign was interpreted as a bid by the evil left wing English press telling US people to vote for Kerry.

Not only did they get thousands of angry phlegms and snottograms from Americans who apparently read the august organ across the pond.

They also received the attentions of crackers who believed it was their patriotic duty to silence a free press, who they thought was talking ill of their candidate.

The site was hacked and shut down. However, with true British stiff upper lip and in the traditions of sticking to your point of view no matter what the cost, the Guardian has decided against ploughing ahead regardless.

The editors have decided that enough is enough and they are calling it quits. So just remember if a paper says something you don't like, don't bother with defamation courts. A simple denial of service attack is all that is required to stop a media campaign. µ