Journalism
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Exposed: Fake journalist
In an exclusive for ConservativeNewsSite.com, a man who moonlights as a journalist has been spotted in central London. He’s suspected of defrauding UK-based publications and passing off stories as his own.
He’s believed to submit material for X accounts, including “TheRabbitHole84”, albeit these are not his personal accounts. The material he writes is generally meant to be persuasive in its nature.
In 2010 he was accused of hoarding an external hard drive that was confiscated and examined by “Vigilante Police Guy”, a media activist, who disposed of the material after submitting records to various agencies.
His primary crime is to deny a journalist does the work he or she does. It’s caused distress between professionals but largely amongst new starters or young journalists in training who have also had their work stolen.
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NYT: Criminal lead exposed
In a stunning exclusive for ConservativeNewsSite.com, a conspirer against media outlets, and other businesses, has been sighted.
He’s suspected of coordinating manoeuvres against large businesses such as The New York Times, and others, as extensively reported here.
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Long Report: What is journalism?
Citizen journalism is a relatively new term but it’s already died a death in the UK. It just doesn’t ring true we know how to do it without training or a proper education. It doesn’t follow in the line of casual arts. The truth is hard to grasp, and even harder to get out there.
It’s a lifestyle experienced by the religious, and increasingly politicians. The point is also proved in journalism itself where facts go nowhere. The practice of typing out a response or tapping out an ‘original’ story is the privilege of those released to do it.
It’s a practice that’s got to be professional. In the UK we don’t value this often enough. In fact, festering WhatsApp groups and pulp-ridden Facebook pages pollute our screens as we search or scroll for something better. We don’t need the junk anymore.
A newer way
The innovations are happening at a pace but it’s rarely noticed. The changes in our landscape are huge and have not caused an earthquake in public opinion. They should because we’ve moved on hugely since the past, when news was fact and not a truth.
There are able pundits attempting to navigate the broken courses of Parliament or break the solid ice of Whitehall. They do a good job and people know more. Yet more know less because they opt for unofficial views of rumour mongers and amateur jingoists.
The general feeling is we haven’t turned a corner in the 21st century because we’ve failed to take our eyes off the past. It’s bleak back there, and irrelevant. There’s so much that’s new – and exciting – today there’s no point in re-reading old lines and repeating old statements.
Realities
The MP’s making waves are different people. They have different backgrounds, and stories. They come from the same places but a lot’s happened since. They’re as familiar as you and I, but a changing landscape demands moving on.
The news journalism culture we’ve got hasn’t necessarily all moved at the same pace. The newer outlets are juggernauts. They appeal distinctively and repeat stories that matter. Their views don’t always hold water but they make amends where told to.
It’s a new media for a new generation. It anchors what we say to each other in private with a dose of reality. It’s not all there is to say but it’s a start and, of course, we’re able to finish off the conversation. There’s no shortage of opinions at home, or elsewhere.
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A Salisbury nomenclature
The city of Salisbury, Wiltshire is not a stage for drama. It’s been a focus of national attention for a poising. It was alleged Putin did it and it brought some fame. It’s not a good sort, though.
There’s always another side to a story, as well as a city. The truth in Salisbury is it has its own “local” stories that trend in streets and on a few corners. The time I spent there was no exception.
In a small part of it – set about a church, as it happens – there was a hoo-ha over a publication. The Catholic Herald isn’t a point of huge controversy but unbeknownst it had been one for a long time.
In a small way a few locals had begun to converse over it but long ago – a few decades, it was said. Fast forward, and a small cohort has picked up on this single conversation.
Maybe it was brought up as a memory, but it soon turned into no small controversy. These locals decided to “serve” the outlet in whatever way they could, which meant becoming Catholic first.
It was a period of hysteria, a type that pops up and disappears often in England. A moment of enthusiasm, however, can be misunderstood and in a short while the group had grown larger.
It turned into a quasi journalist’s ‘cult’, holding meetings and organising rotational prayer rotas. It was also a butt of local jokes. It was discussed in pubs and written off over tea and coffee.
The partners in this humorous crime didn’t get their work in the end, and they didn’t end up observant either. It’s just a quirk of nature in the English countryside, but a morality tale also, somehow.
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NYT: Scotland’s undercover agents
It’s not everyday that you meet an impersonator. It’s not everyday you want to, either, but in Edinburgh there was a short period in which every other person was one.
The New York Times has a famous history and it’s revered, but in a late modern rush for jobbing glory it seemed a lot of people ended up washed up as shipwrecks.
It’s what happened to a large cohort who decided it was time to fake it until they make it – every one of them. They went about claiming to be “investigative” journalists, no less.
They weren’t, and investigative journalists don’t get a good wrap anyway. It spread hilarity but also a bit of confusion. It became the local news story in and of itself, and the rest is history.
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Caught: UK press thief
In an exclusive for ConservativeNewsSite.com, a thief preparing to take hostile control of the Press Gazette has been spotted.
He’s suspected of plotting to take control of an outlet to further infiltrate news media in the UK.
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Long Report: Journalism in a spyglass
The so-called downfall of a top journalist is hardly good news. It doesn’t bode well that people fail at all. It certainly isn’t positive if a person of prominence does so too.
It doesn’t mean we’re at fault as a society. It means things went wrong because of actions that were taken by individuals acting on their own beliefs and by their own design. This is the way bad choices are made and how scandals unfold.
It can be difficult to track these things. There are journalists who spend heaps of time looking at those who are heading down a wrong path. It’s a twisting and winding journey they make and it has so many avenues at times it can go cold.
All investigation is hard
The way to go about tracking a person’s downward spiral is to begin with who they are to start with. It builds an appreciation of the height they are falling from. It also lays a groundwork for contemplation of what they are trying to do and why.
It’s not as if life is tough up there. There are perks to all jobs and jobs in media have more than others. It’s a fine life so to speak for those who want to work at it and do it well. The hard graft is seen by the public and there’s time for enjoying the fruits of labour later.
I’ve known of journalists who pull over thirty hours of work without a break and they barely scratch the surface of their story. It takes many more sessions than a first breaking in effort to bring out the real story behind a crass scandal breaking in a public person’s life.
Due to the nature of the high life it takes a journalist into corridors of power they’ve never seen – and likely won’t see again. They’ll meet people they’ve never heard of and encounter crimes they can’t report because it’s not their story or it’s too difficult to extricate.
The job never ends
The life of a journalist like this is not easy to pin down. There are few examples of competent individuals because of the hours, the messes that encounters create, and the travelling involved too.
It’s not psychologically burdensome but physically demanding. It puts enormous pressure on physicality. It’s an encounter a few have likened to their experiences in military combat. It can reach a level of tension that’s difficult to experience elsewhere.
The truth is the job is never over. There’s always another scandal breaking or another person making their worst decision yet. It’s a career that builds on itself too because successes bring more skills and techniques to employ to catch and pin down harder-to-get targets.
A culture it creates
The good aspect of investigative work is it inspires others. There are chances to stop a scandal in its tracks. It may be possible to use a technicality in an employee’s contract to terminate it. It’s also possible to phone in the police to discuss a person’s behaviour.
It creates a culture of dependence on good work. It also inculcates a way of seeing life through the lens of a work ethic. The social dynamic is hardly rewarding to those who want real information. The practical results are gained by curiosity in a diligent targeting at truth.
The progress journalists make is felt in the rewards of having a story published or findings printed. It builds a more complete picture that brings interest. We feel we learn more about place, and ourselves, because we’re looking closer with a more analytical eye.
The putt-offs on television with lighthearted jokes is beside the point of what it’s like to stare into darkness. A person intent on crime creates harm and causes pain. They make sure others suffer. There’s rarely a scandal that doesn’t involve a victim and it’s not always easy to get over.
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Caught: Propaganda adjuster
In an explosive capture for ConservativeNewsSite.com, an adjuster working for private propaganda outlets in Russia has been sighted on a train leaving London.
His work is very technical. It has to do with defending claims on behalf of clients who produce propaganda in different formats. Their material circulates in and sometimes is sent out of the state of Russia.
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Court Reports: Huw Edwards, Westminster Magistrates Court
Huw Edwards, a former BBC News journalist and anchor, has been given a six month sentence suspended for two years.
He was found guilty of soliciting indecent images of children from a young Welsh male who’s also been found guilty.
He also has to attend 25 rehabilitation classes and undergo 40 days of treatment due to the nature of his crimes.
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Russia’s info war
The struggle for credibility is a familiar tale particularly for those seeking to build followings online. It’s something users of sites like YouTube, Facebook, and X have long known.
The encroachment of Russian news media sits in this frame of context because of its need for an audience that will listen. The powers of the West however are not so sure about its intentions.
The banning of Russia Today by Ofcom in 2022 separated Russian origin programming from the UK market. It found the broadcasts did not meet our impartiality standards and probably wouldn’t.
The context of late has been the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. It leads to fears that Putin’s grip over the media there cannot loosen at such a pivotal moment in its foreign policy.
In the UK we have access to media because of the darker corners of the Internet and websites that aren’t blocked. One of them is Regnum, a Moscow-based news outlet that also reports on the West.
Its writing is stolid, typical of Russian origin propaganda. It’s not clear if it’s meant for English speakers or if it’s meant for Russian nationals of any location. The fact is it can be accessed and read here.
The inherent flaw in Russian attempts to reach out is that we’re ready because of our history and our innate suspicion of difference. In general we distrust Russian publications because we know its slant.
The opportunity Russia Today had for a brief time was to present a visually based representation of Russia as a modern, outward looking state. The Ukraine invasion has proven otherwise.
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Caught: Fake news duo
In an exclusive follow up by ConservativeNewsSite.com, a fake news duo known to operate in the trafficking of false reports and misinformation have been captured on camera today.
Previously this site has captured a car belonging to a fake news agent that travelled in Europe. This duo are thought to operate both on site and remotely to support and also further their own activity.
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NYT: An episode in London, over
In Central Park Hotel in London a mystery began to unfold this week. A hotel member of staff was seen on Tuesday acting suspiciously. Another guest checked in who looked familiar. These aren’t odd occurrences unless you know about their real business here.
It’s with The New York Times, in New York City.
However, they’ve both been active here before. They successfully shut down a news story some years back against the paper. It’s no surprise why they did it. In recent months ConservativeNewsSite.com has successfully uncovered evidence about its former employees.
It isn’t pretty to read.
A second attempt to cover up a story is just a reminder there are good apples that go bad. It’s just these went rotten on our doorstep. What they’ve tried to cover up has been exposed. It no longer needs to be kept quiet or swept under a carpet. The facts are now out there.