Muslim rage

After an inflammatory and crude anti-Islamic film called Innocence of Muslims was posted on YouTube, violent protests sprang up around the Arab world. In Libya, the US ambassador – and three colleagues – were killed. But did this justify a bloodcurdling cover story by Newsweek magazine headlined Muslim Rage? In the Telegraph, Rob Crilly described it as "a sickening piece of shock journalism" while the headline sparked its own Twitter hashtag: "There's no prayer room in this nightclub! #muslimrage," mocked @AssedBaig. "When my falafel comes out completely uncrispy #muslimrage," posted @randajarrar.

Bath salts

Stories don't come more lurid than that of Rudy Eugene, who was shot dead by Miami police after he chewed off the face of homeless man Ronald Poppo on a Florida highway. It was immediately claimed that Eugene had ingested bath salts, a powerful new drug containing mephedrone and akin to crystal meth. There were immediate calls to ban it – until the toxicology report came in a month later and proved that Eugene hadn't taken anything of the sort.

The 70s

As well as sending the BBC into what at times looked like a death spiral, the revelations about Jimmy Savile caused much-needed soul searching across the entertainment industry – which had for years trivialised the sexual exploitation of young people by influential figures in the media and music industries. But BBC4 head Richard Klein's decision to scrap the reruns of Top of the Pops because they were presented by the likes of Dave Lee Travis looked more Stalinist than sensitive.

The feckless poor

While Vodafone avoided paying any corporation tax in the UK, rightwing tabloids remained full of the likes of Latvian mother-of-10 Linda Kozlovska, who was demanding a bigger council house; "scrounging Dad" Paul Tolley, who refused to work on account of claiming £30,000 a year; and Teresa Bystram, who according to the Sun "took three of her eight children on a 550-mile trip to Raoul Moat's funeral" and gets £33,000 a year. Summer saw this apocalypic portrait of a feckless underclass satirised – or was it endorsed? – by Martin Amis in his novel Lionel Asbo.

Naked royals

Since 2012 was the Queen's diamond jubilee and – perhaps more crucially – the year of the Leveson inquiry, the fact that both Prince Harry and the Duchess of Cambridge were snapped naked or topless sent some into paroxysms of synthetic outrage. How dare the likes of Closer magazine in France invade the privacy of our royals? Especially since we're no longer allowed to.

• This article was amended on 2 January 2012 to correct the name of Ronald Poppo, from Robert Poppo.