gypsies", were found to be highly misleading upon investigation by the Media Research Group of Goldsmiths' College, University of London. The report of the MRG investigation estimated that some 3,000 news stories about the "Loony Left" ran between 1981 and 1987 in the British tabloid press alone. It determined that many of these stories were either partially or wholly fabricated and that their targets, against whom they aimed to inflame public opinion, were a few London local councils that were under Labour Party control. "Baa Baa White Sheep" In 1986, a parent-run nursery school banned the song "Baa Baa Black Sheep" over concerns the song might have racial undertones. Over time, media reports came to misreport the story, eventually incorrectly claiming the Birmingham City Council had ordered the lyrics be changed to "Baa Baa green sheep". Variants of this story have been reported repeatedly by the British mass media since 1986, to the state at which it has almost gained the status of an urban myth. Both The Age and The Herald reported in 2002, for example, the same "Baa Baa White Sheep" story, ascribing it to a parent of a child attending Paston Ridings Primary School in London. The original story reported a ban at Beevers Nursery, a privately run nursery school in Hackney. It was originally reported by Bill Akass, then a journalist at the Daily Star in the 15 February 1986 edition under the headline "Now it's Baa Baa Blank Sheep". Akass had heard of a ban issued, by nursery school staff, on the singing of "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" on the grounds that it was racist. In his story, he wrote: The nursery was run by the parents, rather than by Hackney council, but Akass had telephoned Hackney council for its reaction to his story. Martin Bostock, then the press officer for Hackney council, reported that he had considered the possibility of simply responding: "We don't know what this nursery is doing, but whatever they're doing it is up to them". However, according to council leader Tony Millwood, Bostock rejected this advice and wanted to take a more supportive stance on the alleged ban and in conjunction with the press office drafted and issued a statement saying "that we supported what they'd done, although making it quite clear that it was not a council nursery and not a council ban". Three days later in the 18