Samantha Armytage has taken legal action against the Daily Mail Australia and told them she’ll sue if they do not take down an intrusive story which made fun of her underwear and issue an apology.
According to a report by NewsCorp the Daily Mail’s editor, Luke McIlveen and the article’s writer, Max Margan have been issued a three-page letter from the Sunrise host’s lawyers that said that “Ms Armytage is at a loss to understand the reasons why Daily Mail Australia has chosen to publish this article,” and called it, “a gross invasion of her privacy.”
The document allegedly said that while Sam acknowledges she is a public figure, which can include becoming the subject of rumour and innuendo, she is concerned that the website “seems determined to humiliate and shame her in the most base and personal way.”
The letter also pointed out the rivalry between Channel Seven and Channel Nine and said that a former employee of Today is working at the Daily Mail, which is cause for concern when it comes to articles slamming Armytage.
As per Newscorp, the letter reads:
“It has not escaped our client’s attention that the Daily Mail’s social media manager was formerly employed as a producer on the Nine Network’s Today Show which is a major competitor of Seven’s Sunrise.”
In case you’ve been living under a rock and missed it, the article in question had read:
“Sunrise host Sam Armytage dares to bare with granny panties showing a visible line as she steps out in Sydney… after slamming rumours she’s dating Channel Seven colleagues”
The story also mentioned that “the TV personality’s granny panties showed through the garment with a clearly visible line”.
Readers and fellow media personalities, including Today’s Lisa Wilkinson, reacted by calling the article harassing, perverted and the epitome of misogyny.
And the legal letter may have worked.
The Daily Mail has now amended its story with changes in the headline and an apology at the bottom that reads:
An earlier version of this story contained critical statements regarding Samantha Armytage’s appearance. While the story has since been amended, we apologise for any distress caused to Ms Armytage or readers more generally.
The Daily Mail’s apology to Samantha Armytage.
No word yet on if this will satisfy the Sam’s legal team’s requests.
