Apologise Now Tim

As one suspects is the case with many on Twitter - boredom is acute re the spats with Tim Ireland and Tim Fenton over the last few days.

TT's crime has been to point out that it is not acceptable for Ireland to use analogies involving rape and shooting towards women on Twitter. The fact that he hasn't got the guts to apologise for either- as even some of his followers have suggested he should - clearly means he thinks what he has done is acceptable.

Fenton has waded in because Ireland has been complaining that TT has been threatening him - bit odd that when he is the one talking about raping and shooting. Not once has Fenton addressed the real issue of why his friend feels the need to be so malicious towards his targets, who are frequently woman.

Instead both are claiming the real issue here is the identity of TT - an identity no-one other than the pair care about, and one which Ireland claims to have revealed four months ago (though typically he won't reveal his damning IP evidence unless it's in court LOL).

Well chaps that isn't going to wash. You made the remarks Tim - no-one else. If you're not man enough to face up to the fact that people find you an abhorrent sack of shit (others words on Twitter) then tough. Don't go trying to change the debate away from you.

And if continue hurling insults and abuse to try and stop TT from pointing this out then this is a direct invitation for me to come and ask you face to face to ask you nicely stop doing it. No amount of online challenges or wimpering about non existent threats to your family is going to change that Timothy.

Every action has a consequence - even an idiot like you must see that. Ends.

Tim Ireland pays price for years of bullying and hounding.

Twitter is a forum which has the wonderful capacity for bringing together people from all walks of life. The potential is there for Tweeters with deeply opposing views to engage in a civilised argument without descending into abuse and personal insults.

Sadly there is a minority on Twitter who instead use it to hound and harass - ironically they are the same ones who when confronted in real life run away and hide.

One such specimen is Tim Ireland - a blogger who continually whines about the imaginary  threats and insults he has received while freely dishing far worse out to others. During the last fortnight he has "hypothetically" tweeted about raping MP Louise Mensch and shooting Nadine Dorries, another MP, through the brain (see Harry Cole's screen captures here for more: yfrog.com/odch0qhj  and  http://yfrog.com/odvk4qibj  .

What either has done to deserve this kind of vile abuse - aside from having the temerity to have different views than Mr Ireland - no-one knows. His friends - who appear to see his online bullying and stalking as a form of entertainment - will defend him by pointing out that Tim has been targeted by others in the past.

According to Ireland this week Ms Dorries committed the unpardonable sin of - wait for it - speaking about him to other people! This from a woman whose friends and family have to read serial abuse from Ireland and his cronies on a daily basis.

In a rare attempt to justify some disgusting remarks about Foetuses to a female Tweeter he claimed he was going to keep up his tirade against Ms Dorries until she apologised. Oh the irony.

You see Tim Ireland doesn't do apologies. In his world that would be an admission of weakness and is best left to others. He has also built up around him a coterie of online thugs who re tweet his abuse to MPs just so the smears and hate tweets can be spread as widely as possible.

All was going well until TT - who has been the subject of similar sustained attention from Ireland and his cronies - suggested yesterday that it was time to challenge him to back this abuse up in person. 

In typical fashion a suggestion of a face to face discussion - without hiding behind a keyboard - has yielded cries of "Leave Tim alone you bullies" from the likes of Tim Fenton, another blogger who also lies and lies on daily basis. According to Fenton last week married Miss Mensch was having an improper relationship with a blogger who supported her over the abuse - no hint of evidence, just smears is Fenton's forte.

Having spoken to a number of others who have been targeted by Ireland we have decided there is little point indulging his cowardly attacks any further on Twitter. Far better to see him and discuss this properly in person. Ends.

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.

Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics

Apparently a blogger who has taken exception to TT's anonymity has gone to the trouble of getting a forensic linguist to analyse the tweets against those of another named Twitter account. Suffice to say there are so many holes in the report that one could drive a proverbial bus through them. Why, for example, does the researcher place such emphasis on having analysed 2,000 tweets? This is less than half the number (4,150) which the account has tweeted since its creation some months ago. Thus for said Blogger to conclude that the majority of the tweets point to a certain conclusion is delusional (ie the report doesn't even analyse 50 per cent let alone a majority). In addition the researcher claims to have analysed 600 Tweets from the other Twitter account - yet Twitter shows only 402 in all. One has to also question why the Blogger didn't ask the researchers to look at this blog by way of comparison instead of a medium in which those tweeting repeatedly use the same phrases to get around the limitations of 140 words or less.
 One thing which the said Blogger has consistently failed to produce is what he previously described as "damning" IP evidence that led him to publish his silly claims back in April. One can only draw one conclusion from this: There isn't any.
 Crucially also - as others have pointed out - what is the point of his campaign? How many of those who the Blogger claims were libelled by TT have instituted civil or criminal actions in the light of this alleged outing? The answer: None. What action has Twitter taken against TT? The answer: None.
 Does he really think TT will simply give up because of his silly crusade. Not likely mate.
Update: I see even the Blogger's own pals are pointing out what we all know - that is no-one's interested my friend. You have zero credibility with the police and also any recognised media commentator so your inane bleating is not going to get you anywhere. If you're man enough - which we all know you're not - do something about it other than writing self-pitying little blogs :) read by fewer people than you'll find at a country bus stop.

What Price Progress?

Journalism is changing.

Blogging, the required mastery of social and networking websites, added to the galloping growth of online journalism is changing the media landscape in a way that even those starting out a decade ago could not have imagined.

Though established older hacks have reluctantly adopted email addresses and in some cases learned to operate to a computer, often with hilarious consequences, none have seen their positions under threat from a lack of understanding of changing media technology.

That's because they received the training which still makes the difference between writing the scoop or re-writing someone else's lead later.

It frequently would have in involved alcohol; usually with an older veteran hack; the art of conversation (Yes - it still exists somewhere), fostering and nurturing contacts; and discovering whether you have the inner drive to beat the competition.

Contrary to what many who have witnessed some of the worst excesses outlined at Leveson, or from the reporting of Operation Motorman, it didn't involve hacking phones or spending days on the phone to private eyes.

Journalism then was the old-fashioned technique of wearing out shoe leather on the streets, and working long hours to get stories which those in power frequently were doing their utmost to stop you getting.

Fast forward to 2012 and often the only danger to shoe leather for many young hacks is tripping on the scuffed carpet in  offices where they spend too much time writing for online newspaper sections without going out on actual stories.

The long hours are, of course, still there, and the staff of most newspapers is less than half of what it was ten years ago.

And whereas many local newspaper groups frequently sponsored aspiring journalists to get training, covering course fees and accommodation costs, this is now proving to be the exception rather than the rule.

Which brings us to another of the biggest changes in the media - the explosion in post graduate media courses and the fees required for those who still want to pursue their dream of becoming a journalist.

City University, for example, runs the country's best known and most successful post graduate courses in journalism. But to undertake a full-time MA in say Investigative Journalism at City students have to come up with £9,000 if they come come from the EU, or £18,000 if they are from a non EU country.

Kingston Uni, another of the leading choices for those wanting to study for an MA in Journalism, charges £5,850 for full-time students from the EU, and £12,350 for non EU. At Cardiff it is a similar picture - £6,320 for EU students studying for an MA in International Journalism, and £12,400 for their non EU counterparts.

Just how many of the older hacks, many of whom come from the deprived East End, included in their numbers former messengers, or sons of printers, could have afforded that TT wonders? 

A friend who works at City says the courses are excellent but that the sheer cost has meant the vast majority of the students come from privileged backgrounds, and most definitely do not include the working classes.

Those national newspapers which run their own graduate recruitment schemes have the pick of thousands of applicants, frequently plump for Oxbridge students, who again do not tend to come from the ranks of the less well-off.

So while today's journalism students deserve huge credit for paying so much to simply enter what is an extremely uncertain profession one concern remains: Is some of the raw talent we once took for granted simply being being priced out?

Hopefully the answer to that is a resounding "No" and students from deprived households are still making it, albeit with an even larger student debt.

And if they're not perhaps its time for some of the newspaper groups earning millions while not paying Corporation Tax to set some money aside to ensure that everyone gets a chance.

Yes and pigs might fly - but TT lives in hope.

Arrest 1 Public Right To Know 0.

Contrary to what a few appear to think - most journalists do not consider themselves to be above the law.

Indeed, there are countless occasions when reporters assist police investigations despite there being  nothing (editorially speaking) to be gained from doing so.

Quite how that relationship is going to work in the future seems uncertain - particularly given the treatment of some two dozen or more colleagues from The Sun newspaper during the last few months.

Most have been arrested in front of their families during dawn swoops on their homes - not permitted to dress, shower, or even take a shit on their own without an officer in view.

The investigation is into whether they made corrupt payments to public officials - not because any were involved in phone hacking (the sister investigation run by the Operation Weeting unit).

The vast majority have had their collars felt, so to speak, as a result of their own bosses at News Corp and its UK division News International handing over evidence of what they say is potential wrong-doing as part of an internal clean-up operation. No other newspaper group - UK or otherwise - has followed suit.

As we all know, the Management and Standards Committee (MSC)  - chaired by Lord Grabiner QC at  £3,000 an hour - was set up at a time when the company was desperately trying to divert attention away from James Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks.

In contrast to say the much-maligned Leveson Inquiry, it is not independent and does not publish evidence on a website for all to see. Nor is it supported by Parliament or Mrs Brooks's friend the Prime Minister.

The only expense claims or other documentary evidence it has handed over to Scotland Yard to date has been that of rank-and-file staff from The Sun. No executives have been reported for authorising any of the "corrupt" payments despite the fact that they would have signed them off.

Odd too that so many senior managers from News Int met leading police officers - as we know from Leveson - yet none of these expense claims were then passed to the Yard.

One principal reason why so many Sun reporters have been getting wake-up calls from the police at 6am is because the MSC, in its wisdom, decided to check all records dating back ten years.

Staff at The Times were told the company was only checking back over the last 12 months. Not exactly fair you might say, but then the MSC is making up all the rules in this particular game.

One could say that the injustices outlined above are hardly down to the police who, after all, are simply doing their job.

Until recently - whether we liked it or not - many journalists would have reluctantly agreed.

But as the arrest count continues to rise there is growing evidence that some officers from Operation Eleveden are becoming increasingly speculative and perhaps even looking to limit free speech and investigation.

Last week's arrest of Sun journalist Neil Millard is a prime example. Neil, 31, was arrested at his home in Croydon in the early hours of the morning. He was driven straight to a police station and left alone in a cell for 13 hours before detectives saw fit to interview him. Again the information which led to his arrest was provided by the MSC.

What is perhaps all the more extraordinary about this particular arrest is that the basis for it was that officers wanted to know if Neil had paid an official for a story he wrote about child killer Jon Venables.

The article was published in March 2010 and revealed how Venables was enjoying a comfortable existence behind bars which included his own 36in TV screen and various board games.

If there isn't a clear public interest in a journalist revealing that Jamie Bulger's killer was getting VIP treatment in jail then what point is there in having investigative journalism? If this story is reason enough for police to arrest a hack then what isn't beyond the reach of Operation Elveden?

The arrest also came despite Keir Starmer QC, the Director of Public Prosecutions, saying in April that it was important that the public's right to know remained protected.

Introducing a new 17-page guide for prosecutors, Mr Starmer said: "Freedom of expression and the public right to know about important matters of public debate are an essential foundation of our society - but there are limits for those who cross the line into criminality.

"These guidelines will assist prosecutors in striking the right balance between those interests in cases affecting the media.

"Journalists, and those who work with them, are not afforded special status under the criminal law, but the public interest served by their actions is a relevant factor in deciding whether they should be prosecuted in an individual case."

Now either officers from Op Elveden haven't bothered to read the words of Mr Starmer or - as seems more likely - they think its OK to arrest anyone then worry about whether prosecutors throw it out later.

Once upon a time we would have been writing about this kind of authoritarian police approach in the likes of Russia or the Middle East - now it seems the UK is no different.

Journalists are the ones suffering in the short term but it might well be that the public - and their right to know - end up losing out in the longer term.

Ends.

Troll Update

Yesterday TT had a Twitter spat which involved a young journalist called Mic Wright who tweets as @brokenbottleboy.

This is a brief explanation of the background to this row for the benefit of some who only saw the later tweets and misinterpreted the exchange.

For clarity a friend of TT was taking Mr Wright to task over a  direct message he sent to this account back in April suggesting he visit a specific page of a blogger because the latter had written something about TT.

In fact, as it turned out, the exercise was to assist the blogger in trying to trap TT into giving the identity of the account holders away via IP addresses.

After more than an hour of exchanging tweets Mr Wright finally admitted to this yesterday - justifying his actions by stating that he believed TT had made a number of unjustified attacks on others via Twitter.

Of course he is entitled to his opinion - as we all are.

The point, however, remains that instead of engaging with TT and making his feelings known Mr Wright took part in a sting against other journalists.

As one of his supporters said yesterday - IP address investigations are only justified when someone has committed a crime - something that TT wholly concurs with.

All TT is saying is that it is a sad day when journalists start turning on each other - particularly as this particular blogger has a long and dubious track record of bullying and abusing hacks on Twitter.

Indeed the said blogger is currently hounding a former TV production assistant from Question Time who was asked to deal with his complaint about being removed from the show. Despite the fact that she has tweeted that she has left QT and is now working at London 2012 he continues to ridicule her - lately asking if she was fired from her old job.

Earlier the same blogger targeted the respected Italy-based journalist Nick Pisa simply because of a subbing error at a national newspaper office in London which the latter knew nothing about.

Discussing this any further simply gives the blogger the attention he craves. 

TT apologises here to Mr Wright for suggesting that commissioning editors might want to re consider employing him - that was wrong and said in the heat of the moment. However, TT does ask him to perhaps not work against people in his own industry in such an underhand way again.

Ends.