Evening Standard: “Jo Malone’s Old English Garden in Battersea Park opened with a glittering party, but a thorny row has erupted amid the shrubbery. The neglected garden had been revived over years by charity Thrive, which gets disabled people involved in horticulture. Fragrance queen Malone made a generous £90,000 donation earlier this year.”
The Actual Facts: Jo Malone left the company in 2006. While the brand still carries the Jo Malone name, Jo now has a new brand called Jo Loves and neither she nor it has any connection to the Estee Lauder owned Jo Malone. So, the ‘fragrance queen’ has no connection to Thrive and nor did she make a donation.
Evening Standard: “Jo Malone came in at the last minute to steal the show,” said one ungrateful tiller. “They’re now basking in the glory. The garden is a testament to the hard work of the gardeners, many of whom have had a tough time in life. But of course, none of them are invited to the opening.”
The Actual Facts: This one is really simple. She wasn’t there. At all. Why would she be when she has nothing to do with the company? And yes, I’ve fact checked and asked her. She was not there.
All in all, shabby reporting, nil fact checking and who looks stupid now, hey?
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