In an extremely unusual move, Britain’s The Daily Express finds itself apologizing on its own front page. To settle libel charges brought against it by the parents of missing 4-year-old Madeleine McCann, the newspaper splashed the story “Kate and Gerry McCann: Sorry” across its front page — that’s “sorry,” as in “Sorry for wrongfully accusing you guys of murdering your daughter, covering it up, and pretending to be sorrowful.”

McCann went missing in May ‘07 while the family was on holiday in Portugal. Parents Kate and Gerry said she had been abducted; the Express, knowing they could sell papers by the forest load, disagreed. In the weeks and months that followed, reporters accused the parents of all sorts of wrongdoing, attributing their information to Portuguese officials who were merely rumormongering about what might have happened.

Now the Express has a different tone of voice in its copy: ““We acknowledge that there is no evidence whatsoever to support this theory and that Kate and Gerry are completely innocent of any involvement in their daughter’s disappearance,” the paper said. It added, “Kate and Gerry, we are truly sorry to have added to your distress.” The paper’s officials will also read the apology aloud in court and pay damages of more than $1 million, all thanks to English libels laws that, unlike American courts, put the burden of proof on the defendant. Unable to prove its statements true, the Express had little choice but to cave, or face a much harsher fate.

Now, editor Peter Hill finds his job is on the line. And the Express‘ tagline, “The World’s Greatest Newspaper,” remains intact.