The Disgraceful Mistreatment of Matt Nixson

In these days of “Trial by Twitter” we have resignedly become accustomed to journalists having their name blackened before they even reach the courts.

And in the case of former Sun features editor Matt Nixson we have seen a thoroughly decent chap brought crashing down to earth without even seeing a police officer.

As Dominic Ponsford’s excellent article (http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=49693&c=1) in the UK Press Gazette recounts, Matt was sacked from his job a year ago following a so-called investigation by News Corp’s Management and Standards Commission (MSC).

TT says “so called” because their corruption allegations were clearly of so little worth that – despite the MSC ringing the Met up virtually every day – the police decided whatever they were alleging wasn’t a criminal matter.

That situation hasn’t changed and, at a time when it seems a journalist has only to respond to an email to have their collar felt, the police say they do not have the slightest interest in Matt.

Questioned by the Press Gazette about this appalling state of affairs, the MSC limply claimed that “negotiations are continuing”. Reliable sources say that is a lie and the two sides haven’t had any dialogue for weeks – with the MSC preferring to allow Matt’s costs to continue to soar in the hope that they will bleed him dry and so break him that way.

Meantime the journalists and bloggers who were so quick to condemn Matt, presumably under the nonsense “no smoke without fire” theory which pervades Twitter, have been snail-like in now offering their support for this particular injustice.

Perhaps if a few of them knew how he had suffered during the last 12 months, at times it is only knowing that he has a young daughter which has kept Matt going, they too would ask @rupertmurdoch and the MSC what the hell is going on.

Ends.