If Ekstra Bladet newspaper wants its iPad application approved by Apple, the scantily-clad lady on page nine will need more clothes.
Apple has rejected an application from the tabloid to approve its e-paper, arguing that the topless Page 9 Girl is “offensive”, reports Politiken newspaper.
“This is madness,” said Ekstra Bladet editor-in-chief Poul Madsen. “There’s absolutely nothing pornographic or offensive about her.”
Madsen has refused to take the Page 9 Girl out of the iPad version of Ekstra Bladet. “She is part of the soul of the paper. She’s a breath of fresh air, a ray of sunshine in a daily reality that is usually filled with violence and crime.”
He accused Apple of unfair censorship and anti-competitive behaviour, since the paper cannot be published in its entirety in Apple’s iPad format.
“The page 9 girl is not investigative journalism, but it is still an expression of how we perceive the freedom of speech in this country,” said Madsen, who’s willing to take the matter to the courts, if necessary.
“So far, Apple has arrogantly ignored our enquiries,” he said. “But that is about to change now that we’ve threatened to take the case to the EU-tribunal.”
Ekstra Bladet today launched a campaign, which, according to Madsen, will expose Apple’s double standards. The paper is asking its readers to send in examples of other tabloids, such as German paper Bild and British The Sun, which are allowed to show topless girls on their iPad applications. “We want to point out the double standards and reveal how much bare skin Steve Jobs uses in his little app-land,” said Madsen.
