[soulboy]

Should we follow the breadcrumbs to these show trails?

[Bones McCoy]

[Youngian]

Hmm. Dark forces conspiring to bring down GBeebies because it is a direct threat to establishment vested interests, eh?

Sounds familiar . . .

Ahh yes, I remember it . . .

John McD believes those who own and control the dosh (means of production) are the elite not Gary Linekar and Lily Allen on a Pride march. And he’s obviously right.

[Youngian]

Fuck me. Unequivocally backing somebody and claiming a conspiracy because some stuff on social media is rubbish. The allegations aren't from "social media".

This woman was a minister.

These whining right wing cry babies won’t shut the fuck up, whatever happened to Gary Cooper?

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Popbitch has a bit of a Dan Wooton special today:

Dan Wootton has replaced Huw Edwards at the centre of this week's media storm – and, unlike Huw, Dan decided to address the allegations facing him on air.

In his big Errors Of Judgement speech on Tuesday night, Wootton claimed that the so-called smear campaign against him was the result of "nefarious players" and "dark forces" trying to shut down GB News.

An interesting theory, but anyone who received Issue 1029 of Popbitch will know that our first questions about the mysterious Martin Branning appeared in March 2021 – a full three months before GB News launched.

It's typical of Dan to be so modest and self-effacing, of course, but we hope he realises people aren't just interested in this story because of the connection to GB News. They're interested in it because of him.

And it's extremely well deserved.

We're glad to see the Sun has taken us up on the advice we offered them last week, launching a proper investigation into their former golden boy, Dan Wootton.

It sounds like it's in safe hands. HR sent out emails this week to employees they thought might potentially have been affected by the alleged actions of Wootton, or could shine some light on his time at the News Of The World and the Sun.

And on at least one of those emails, forgot to use BCC – so all the individuals who received the email could see who else got it too.

During the Phillip Schofield saga, Dan Wootton wrote in his regular Mail column that the reason he quit his job at ITV was because they tried to ban him from talking about Schofield and Meghan Markle on air. Unwilling to be bound by such suffocating conditions, Dan claims he proudly told them where to stick their job – and left.

This might astound you, but it seems recollections of those events differ somewhat from person to person. The story that survives at ITV is that Dan was suspected of leaking stories that he'd gleaned from hanging around at ITV and feeding them back to his paymasters at The Sun – in breach of the terms of his employment.

To make sure it wasn't coincidence, they pulled the old Wagatha Christie trick on him: deliberately floating some fake gossip his way to see if – by some miracle – it made its way into the paper.

And it did. So they dropped him.

In October 2010, Gamu Nhengu was booted off the X Factor and promptly found herself facing deportation to Zimbabwe. The News Of The World secured an interview with her, so sent Dan Wootton out to conduct it. During the interview, Gamu specifically told him that she couldn't say Mugabe will kill her if she returns, because then he would.

So what was the story that Dan Wootton filed? "DON'T LET ME FACE FIRING SQUAD" – leading with Gamu's fears that Mugabe was going to kill her entire family.

Old Jokes Home
Dan Wootton, Martin Branning and Maria Joseph all walk into a bar.
The barman says "What can I get you, sir?"

[Youngian]

Dan Wootton has replaced Huw Edwards at the centre of this week's media storm – and, unlike Huw, Dan decided to address the allegations facing him on air.

Most people know who Huw Edwards is, though.

[safe_timber_man]

Dan Wootton has replaced Huw Edwards at the centre of this week's media storm

Not really the case, though, is it? It's barely been mentioned.

[safe_timber_man]

Some 'dark forces' are clearly rattled by Byline Times:

[Tubby Isaacs]

What's the evidence it's anything to do with Dan Wootton? I can't see any. This is all a bit third series of Between the Lines.

Let the Wootton story stand on its own, it's appalling if as alleged. No need to make Dan into Mr Big at this stage.

[safe_timber_man]

I assumed when they said "access our work" they meant their work on this particular case? Maybe I've misconstrued that.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Ah, that would make more sense. But I've never entirely trusted this lot.

[safe_timber_man]

Who? Byline Times??


Here's another update from Byline on the attempted hack:

[Youngian]

What's the evidence it's anything to do with Dan Wootton? I can't see any. This is all a bit third series of Between the Lines.

Let the Wootton story stand on its own, it's appalling if as alleged. No need to make Dan into Mr Big at this stage.

Aren’t MI5 too woke now to burgle and stab old ladies in CND?

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Ah, that would make more sense. But I've never entirely trusted this lot.

Which lot? If Byline Times, why not?

[Malcolm Armsteen]

I assumed when they said "access our work" they meant their work on this particular case? Maybe I've misconstrued that.

I think that was the meaning, it's how I understood it.

[Youngian]

Byline Times provides a guide to the top stories this week on its sister network of regional sites promoting local writers and citizen journalism

https://bylinetimes.com/author/bylinesnetwork

Byline Times has more journalistic rigour than Skawkbox or GBNews but not much and it’s the same idea but for centrist dads. A core group of like minded politicos telling its audience what it wants to hear and already knows.
‘Citizen journalism’ is a red light as well, unpaid activists and gobshites with a blog. Tommy Robinson is a citizen journalist.

[Youngian]

They’ve rattled Wootton and he’s crowdfunding to pay for lawyers

A hard left blog is on a deranged campaign of harassment designed to destroy me financially, mentally and professionally – but, with your help, they will not succeed.

Byline Times has eschewed all journalistic, legal and moral practices to publish a series of defamatory and untrue claims as part of a highly politicised witch hunt designed to cancel and de-platform me.

Byline have already come for the likes of the Free Speech Union, the Legatum Institute, GB News and Douglas Murray who received substantial damages for their lies.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Ah, that would make more sense. But I've never entirely trusted this lot.

Which lot? If Byline Times, why not?

Yes. Mainly Peter Juckes posting rubbish about HS2 and an article some time ago where they seemed to suggest the Home Office spent 77k on eyebrows- funnily enough, the firm made other things.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Which lot? If Byline Times, why not?

Yes. Mainly rubbish about HS2 and an article some time ago where they seemed to suggest the Home Office spent 77k on eyebrows- funnily enough, the firm made other things.

[Youngian]

Maybe I knew about these stories because they were reprinted from Byline’s exclusives but I don’t recall this being the case. Their anonymous sources in the Wooton story better be prepared to stand up in court if comes to that.