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Twitter erupts in anger as Amal Clooney is described as an ‘actor’s wife’ by Associated Press

By Ali Mountain on

Snarky description comes as Doughty Street barrister loses Al-Jazeera journo case

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It has been a trying bank holiday weekend for Doughty Street junior Amal Clooney, who on Saturday saw her Al Jazeera journalist client, Mohamed Fahmy, handed a three year sentence for “broadcasting false news” that apparently harmed Egypt following the 2013 military coup.

Worse, in the eyes of some members of the Twitterati, was the Associated Press’ decision to refer to Clooney in the build-up to the judgment as an “actor’s wife”.

OK, so Amal, whose other half is of course ageing silver fox George, is no top QC. In fact, she’s not even a non-top QC — having only been called to the bar in 2010, it will be a while before she is a contender for silk.

But the rookie human rights barrister — who originally qualified as a US attorney, beginning her career at New York corporate firm Sullivan & Cromwell — surely deserves a better billing that “actor’s wife”. In its customary hysterical style, Twitter was quick to point this out.

Since the Cairo court handed down its ruling, Clooney has done a host of press interviews calling for Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to pardon Fahmy and his two co-defendants. But will Twitter pardon the Associated Press, which so far has refused to remove its tweet?

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