I don't know how many times I have sent messages to the back bench at the Mail about this.
Once is a mistake, twice is incompetence, many is ignorance.
Bear in mind, also, even very senior people at the Mail can be severely ignorant - used in it's proper sense.
New Year's honours list 1992 and the deputy editor of the Mail - duty editor - called the then-defence and aerospace specialist correspondent while he was on Christmas leave.
"There's been a major disaster involving the military and the MoD refuses to admit it. As usual, they're lying. Find out, now, what the hell has happened and file the story." quoth said deputy-editor.
"What are you on about?" says the Def & Aero correspondent.
"" Well the honours list is out and there's all these senior officers, such as Brigadier ****, late Royal Engineers, and Colonel **** late Black Watch," etc, "
Def & Aero Corr (Army ret'd), at home with his parents (father Army ret'd), sister (Army serving) and brother-in-law (Army serving), trying not to gently wet themselves at this, just says, "I'll get back to yoü," but there's nothing here to worry about."
You really have to wonder, though, don't you. To have reached deputy-editor of a major Fleet Street newspaper, he MUST have seen the honours list many times before!!