Piggy bank pork pies
"Remember the political-correctness-gone-mad story about the Halifax and Nat West banning piggy banks so as not to offend Muslims? The Daily Express led with it, as did several internet news sources and a few of the more intemperate blogs. Well, Australian Mediawatch reveals that it wasn't true.
"The Halifax press office said in an email to Mediawatch: 'Halifax has not withdrawn any piggy banks from branches. As a matter of fact we have not used piggy banks in our branches for a number of years.' And the media relations office of the Nat West wrote: 'There is absolutely no fact in the story. We simply had a UK wide savings marketing campaign, which included pictures of piggy banks, running until the end of September. Piggy banks have been and will continue to be used as a promotional item by NatWest'."
MediaWatchWatch, 16 November 2005
Credit where it's due, though. Two weeks ago Robert Spencer admitted he got it wrong.
The question is why anyone ever swallowed this patently bogus story in the first place.
Bob Pitt