Press Ethics Different in U.K.

The British press has a well-deserved reputation of not letting the facts get in the way of a good story line. A case in point: this Daily Mail story on actor Robert Wagner arriving to plug his new book on Hollywood.

The story goes out of its way to say Wagner, 84, has been ducking publicity in recent years. Here is the lead sentence:

He has kept a low profile in the past few years, ever since the latest round of questioning and innuendo regarding the 1981 death of his then wife Natalie Wood kicked off in 2011.

The truth is something quite different. Wagner has made repeated appearances on the CBS TV police drama NCIS, playing Tony DiNozzo's father Anthony DiNozzo, Sr., in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014. Appearing five times on network television's most watched show isn't my idea of "keeping a low profile."