A single "thank you" became the Daily Mail's key piece of evidence for identifying their surveillance target as Meg White. That judgment has since been proven completely wrong—at the cost of an ordinary person who never wanted to be exposed, now stalked, secretly photographed, with images spread across the internet.
According to The Guardian, Daily Mail reporter Joe Hutchison published a story on August 6 claiming to have found the "reclusive music legend," publishing over ten non-consensual photos and claiming they showed White's first public appearance in nearly 17 years. The report states that Hutchison asked the woman directly whether she was White, and she laughingly denied it, saying he had the wrong person. But when Hutchison praised The White Stripes' music, she replied "thank you"—and the reporter took that as confirmation she was White herself.
Multiple sources have since confirmed that the woman in the photos was actually a friend of White's, whose identity remains undisclosed. An anonymous music label executive familiar with both parties told The Guardian: "Neither Meg nor the friend in the photos had any idea they were being followed. I can confirm Meg is doing well—she's living the private life she's chosen and deserves in Detroit."
Jack White's ex-wife, singer Karen Elson, blasted the outlet in a since-deleted social media post, calling the Daily Mail's actions "reckless and cruel," and saying they "went to great lengths to track down and target" the friend—who is "someone we love deeply." The Daily Mail has since removed the article and all photos from its website but has not issued a correction or apology. NME has reached out to the Daily Mail for comment and has yet to receive a response.
Meg White has rarely made public appearances since The White Stripes disbanded in 2011, and she was absent when the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year. In his acceptance speech, Jack White relayed her words: "I spoke with Meg White recently, and she said she's sorry she couldn't be here tonight, but she wants everyone to know she's incredibly grateful. Thank you to everyone who has supported her over the years—it means so much to her." He later revealed that Meg herself had helped edit the punctuation and wording of that speech.
This isn't the first time White has clashed with the media. In 2023, journalist Lachlan Markay publicly apologized for once calling her a "terrible drummer," admitting the comments were "mean, unpleasant, and just plain wrong." At the time, both Elson and The Roots drummer Questlove had publicly come to White's defense.
