Anyone reading the Hull Daily Mail today may well believe the character assassination of the creator of the website HU17.net. Who in their right minds would want this man within a hundred miles of the beautiful town of Beverley after this?
There is certainly some truth in what the Hull Daily Mail has printed. Paul Smith has had some dealings with people involved in the adult industry in the past, and has coded some of their websites. He has also taught many of them how to update their own sites, and this looks like being a huge mistake, as the content is then completely out of his control yet still carries links to his website company.
However, as the Hull Daily Mail states several times, Paul Smith is supposedly personally behind “thousands” of hardcore websites. It also states that he has earned a mere £12,000 per annum and incurred several hundred pounds of losses in his business. Something doesn’t quite seem to add up there.
His meagre salary is no reflection of the effort he put into trying to build up his website business, which was immense, but more a reflection of the struggle he had to find suitable clients. He tried to stick to fairly strict guide-lines, but it is obvious that once his work was done, his website templates were updated with content that was very much outside his chosen field. Paul owns a total of 112 domain names which cover every website he has made over four years of every kind. Almost half of these have been dormant for many months. It’s a mystery where the figure of 3,991 websites comes from, but as an exaggeration, it is exceptional.
The paper also states several times that Paul Smith agreed to make a website for one of their reporters who were posing as an Escort. The truth is that Paul agreed to discuss the possibility of building a site, but as the HDM says Paul acknowledged that the term’ Escort’ covers such a wide range of possible services. He made it clear that he would agree to absolutely nothing until he had a chance to establish the moral code of the individual in a meeting. Obviously, this meeting never happened as it was fabricated by the reporter as a way of obtaining an interview for the paper.
Paul has already received very enthusiastic support today from people, not only those that know him and know what an honest and hard-working man he is, but from complete strangers who have visited his HU17.net website for the first time as a result of the HDM’s article. They can see through the newspaper’s angle, and are just making up their own minds to just what sort of person Paul Smith is. Just as he has done over the last nine months, he will continue to dedicate every waking moment to the creation of good and varied publicity for free to ANYONE in Beverley who invites him. He has created HU17.net to reflect the beauty and life of this stunning town because he loves it.
There’s more I could write, and probably will, but I don’t want to waste any more of my time looking at this deeply upsetting publication to find issues with what they have written. There are things going on in Beverley today that are much more important, and I will support Paul in his coverage of them.
Paul. Dont worry. This site is excellent. You have done nothing wrong. I have lived in Beverley all my life and Your dedication to Beverley and this site is outstanding and you should be very proud of yoru excellent work.
The motivation of the HDM is probably that they see your site a threat to their percieved dominance.
The way they have gone about this attack ensures that the only Character they assasinate, is their own!!
It’s disgusting what they are trying to do to you, purely because hu17.net could possibly be a rival to HDM in the years to come.
I work for the biggest employer in the area (you can guess which) and all HDM ever want to do is bring down any business which is doing well and control the mindset of the people of Hull – they should be ashamed of themselves.
Keep up the great work, the people of Beverley are behind you.
LOOK AT THE RESPONSE ON THE HULL DAILY MAIL WEBSITE. ALMOST EVERY CONTRIBUTOR HAS SLATED THE MAIL FOR A NON-STORY. PAUL SHOULD RECEIVE A FULL RETRACTION AND APOLOGY IMMEDIATELY. ALL HE HAS DONE IS TRY TO RUN A LEGITIMATE BUSINESS. JUST BECAUSE IT HAS OFFENDS SOMEBODY AT THE HDM DOES NOT MAKE THE ADULT INDUSTRY ILLEGAL
Must be a slow news week for HDM! Yet again HDM has failed to drag itself out of the gutter by overstating, sensationalising and partially fabricating a story which is not newsworthy. Why? To sell papers!Whatever happened to real reporting? Keep up the good work Paul.
Contact the Press Complaints commission. They have included the word “children” to cause an outrage with speed-readers. The word is completely superfluous to the article. The whole thing is a joke. You should sue them and take the whole company down. HU17.net is what the people of Beverley want. The HDM should take a leaf out of your book instead of attempting to destroy it.
Would not worry, everyone watches porn, the reason they have done it is to sell more papers, so are profitering from that. take the moral high ground, you work with clients, and do a great job. This site is excellent, it has been used by many people I know so I would not concern yourself. It’s yesterdays news already….
I hope the Hull Daily Mail realise the error of their ways and do retract or at least acknowledge publically that they have published a fabricated story regarding Mr Smith and more so the shameful publishing of his partners name and work place. Proud to live in Beverley and proud to be able to show Beverley and what is has to offer through this website
Paul has done nothing wrong. The Hull Daily Mail is just using shock tactics to grab headlines and try and defame his character. For a start it’s hypocritical as HDM run escort ads every day. As their own article points out ‘The adult websites are not illegal’ so what exactly is the point of their story? Anyone can see they fear HU17 as a potential competitor and thats why in the article they literally ask ‘supporters of HU17 to withdraw their support’.
I don’t live in Beverley, but HU17 makes me wish I did
I hope the old saying of there’s no ‘bad’ press is true and that HU17’s traffic skyrockets today.
I am totally disgusted with the HDM, I myself used to be in website design in the early days and even though I never built any adult websites, I know many website designers who did so and this did not mean these wheer wrong to do so.
The HDM is once again going OTT and I also will complain to the rpess complaints as they are way out of order with thsi story.
I have never visted this site Paul, but I am now book marking it.
Shot in the foot ! The HDM have blown both legs off.
I had never heard of HU17.net before today, but having seen the 3 ridiculous stories on HDM fully support Paul and what he has achieved here – I bet the number of visitors to the site will quadruple at least after today, great advertising HDM, I doubt they’ve achieved what they were aiming for!
I have made an official complaint to the Press Complaints Commission about the Hull Daily Mail’s behaviour. For a paper which carries or has carried ads for escort services and porno lines how dare they take the moral high ground!
I suggest you all do the same.
I will be happy to continue supplying you with news about Beverley Minster as before. Best of luck with HU17.net in the future.
I will be happy to continue to supply news of Beverley Minster as before. Best of luck with HU17.net in the future
Just leaving my support for you Paul. I’ve registered a complaint with the PCC, as have many others. I don’t know you personaly, all I know is, you’ve been publicaly outed, for making an honest living. I hope you get some nice compensation and a front page apology. All the best.
This is a brilliant website, showcases all that is good about Beverley. I am disgusted with the underhand tactics employed by the rag. Particularly the way in which they have hounded our elected officials.
Just ignore everything said Paul, look at the response on the story on HDM site, they coudlnt be more slated! Biggest response to a story ive seeen!!!
After reading what has been said i am not happy.I’m a V inspired volunteer and the amount of publicity he has helped us with is amazing!You can fight this paul!The HDM are obviously worried about their newspaper and website, and have targetted you.!
good luck paul!
Keep up the good work Paul, HDM are way out of order, I’d sue for libel.
First time I’ve been on your site, it’s ace.Any chance you could do one for the Hull area, so we get the facts and not tishbull the HDM print.
Your site looks terrific, don’t be put off by HDM distractions, we’ve fought for 7 years, disdained by the establishment, struggling for money, but we never give in. So don’t you.
Paul Smith is a legend. Not for one minute do i believe these rumours. Paul is a very professional man who takes part and attends alot of activities throughout Beverley. The public have alot of respect for Paul and i hope these vicious stories don’t drag him down.
Cheers
Stew
As chair of “Friends of Longcroft” all I have to add is my thanks to Paul for attending our various fundraisers and taking fantastic photographs – all for FREE.
What a joke the Hull Daily Mail are, maybe you should think about expanding your website into Hull or maybe this is what they are worried about. I for one will not be advertising in their publication again.
Paul has done a fanstic job of this website and I have had the pleasure to meet him. I’m a volunteer in the HU17 area and he has covered some of the volunteering opps that are available in the area and also written peices from youths to why Beverley is so great.
The thing is that the Hull Daily Mail has not got anything better and is perfectic in what they are doing. At the end of the day they are both publishing news to be read by members of the public not to have slanging matches against other news writers in the area/country.
Don’t worry Paul everyone on here knows the story is a lie and that hopefuly they will find better worth while stories to write about.
Our volunteering group CSV are alway greatful for what you do and will stay loyal with the stories and pictures for them.
Liz
Ignore them Paul! Don’t let them get you down.
I would like to add my support for Mr Smith, this smacks of a HDM witchunt that has backfired badly on them,would never had heard of HU17.net, but have now, and bookmarked it! Regards to all
Paul you do a marvellous job in promoting Beverley, especially the sport. We hope this makes you stronger. You have our full support.
Please take a look at the HDM comments on the recent story. There are 160+ people all in outrage about the story and all very amusing. You have become a local legend and hopefully you may eventually benefit from the potential wrongdoings of the HDM. Keep up the good work.
This is typical, local newspapers are losing their grip in the online world. Instead of trying to work with you or buy you out they go in for trying to make you look bad to the folk who live in your area. Well egg on their faces they have Escort Agencies in it’s online classifieds section and folk are talking about you (supportively) on Twitter.
The Hull Daily Fail has done it again – they’re obviously worried about the competition. They should look at their own dreary site before they start throwing stones. I’m so pleased to see you’ve got plenty of support, and more than likely a larger readership after this.
Please do keep up the great work.
DO not apologise, you have done nothing wrong. The mail is obviously trying to drag your name through the dirt. They print ads for ‘escorts’ everyday.
Good on yiou for making an honest living, you have the support of everybody in East Yorkshire by the sound of things
So the story in The HDM centres around someone who designed adult websites. Big deal. I think it is nothing more than a transparent attack on a great website that they see as a rival. Good luck to you.
I have never before felt a need to make a complaint to the PCC but this is the final straw for me with regards to the HDM.
I feel that the one sided piece of journalism, is an obvious attempt to run down a business which is in competition with the HDM.
By having a sensationalized headline it lures a reader into thinking nothing but the worse about Mr Smith.
Complaint submitted. Carry on the good work in out performing the HDM, for the people of Beverley and HU17.
I am totally behind Paul, i had never heard of HU17.net before looking at the HDM website this morning and to be honest i dont see what all the fuss is about. What i am concerned about is the ever growing amount of Webspace the HDM is dedicating to this so called story, there are now 4 “stories” ( as of 4pm 04-03-10 )focusing on the main story itself, it seems that the more people complain about the article ( and, judging from the comments on each article – all in SUPPORT of Paul ) the more HDM tries to monopolise their front page with more and more stories! Sounds and looks like their scrambling to shore up a very dodgy story indeed, i hope Paul takes matters furtehr and lodges an official complaint against the HDM.
Good Luck Paul!
Our company has been stitched up by the Mail before – we know what they are like when they have an agenda which they are determined to follow no matter what the truth is. Keep your chin up.
All i can say is register your complaint with the PCC and wait for their grovelling apology.
http://www.pcc.org.uk/complaints/form.html
The Hull Daily Fail are obviously having a slow news week. It is disgusting and quite frankly rather sad how they have to resort to dragging down another news and information source in order to gain publicity themselves. HU17 should not back down and should keep up the good work – everyone is rooting for you.
Please feel free to mod this out if you feel it unacceptable for your website, but I thought some of your readers may be interested in contributing to a Hull community news project that is just setting up. More info availble at: http://intranet.hullfreepress.co.uk/welcome/
Keep up the good work with HU17 and don’t let the bullies at HDM get you down.
They have gone too far and given time it will almost certainly backfire on them.
paul can u send me a link to these adult websites please?? ha ha. any publicity is good publicity. i dont get it anyway. wats the front page story ere??? so you made some websites some of em were porn (ALL LEGAL) and wat???? go get a real story hdm you have made yourselves look like right burkes!!! PAULS HU17.NET PICS ONTO CANVAS. contact me (07595512433) or paul. COME GET YA CANVAS PRINTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
if you are on facebook join this group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=336217853923&ref=ss
if the link doesn’t work search hull daily mail in groups and you should find it
I would just like to give my support to Paul after this stupid story was published. I did not know this site existed but will be visiting it alot more.
This is ridiculous!! I might only be 16 years old…but even I know this is outragous!! This is a hard working local man and friend, who gives up his own time to support & report local causes! Paul is not the kind of guy that HDM are making him out to be!! Keep up the good work Paul!!
Do you think , maybe, that Paul Smith could put up a similar site to HU17, but for the Hull area.
Best form of defence is atatack.
Sorry, that should have been ‘attack’.
I found this story on the register and think it is a very sad state of affairs when a local rag will waste its own time and money on a story like this.
So you coded some web sites which get used for porn sites so what, do they write a story slating DVDs because they are using to show porn ?
You are only responsible for the content YOU publish, not the content someone else publishes using your template, so you did nothing wrong and keep doing what your doing!
[coding note: you might want to add a capta to this page to stop spam bots posting
]
just the HDM trying to kill off the competition, I’d never heard of hu17.net until this morning, just think how much you’d have to pay the rag to get this sort of advert ?
Hiya Paul,
really hope you read these articles because you have done NOTHING wrong!
I personally have spoken to the Editor of the HDM today, phoned look North because I feel this is persecution and registered a complaint with the PCC – as has my partner!
I dont live in Beverley – Cottingham now lol – and tbh had never heard of this site BUT i like it. Its well designed and you should be proud. Youre clearly loved and well thought of despite what that rag has said!
I really hope you dont feel the need to go ‘low profile’ in spite of this negative publicity! read the comments that have been left and stand up to them! Your clearly a man with alot of talent and this WILL NOT stop you doing what you do best! My advice, take them on…you WILL win because you have the public on your side!!
Finally I hope you sue the HDM, not for monetry gain but purely because this is a blantent disregard of the laws designed to stop competitors trying to discretit others!
Good luck and all the best mate – not that ive ever met you lol.
Stuart. A Lill
Paul, the internet would not be as advanced as it were today had it not been for the huge financial input from “other industries.”
Seems these weasels have nothing better to do than try and assassinate the character of a hard working and committed individual, shame on you HDM !
also can you ajust the clock back -1hr on the comments before HDM do another story ?
Keep up the good work Paul, your pics are fantastic.
I am absolutely speechless at what the Hull Daily Mail has done, just wanted to post here to show my support!
What is especially ridiculous is that the Hull Daily Mail are promoting this “bounce back” campaign, to support local businesses – then they go and slate somebody like this, it is absolutely appalling.
As an on and off freelance web designer I can completely emphasise with Paul – it is a competitive marketplace and very hard to keep going. So what if he chooses to create websites of an adult nature? It is not illegal! At the end of the day these people need websites, you are naive if you think it doesn’t go on – why not take on the work if it pays the bills? In a recession like this you cannot necessarily afford to be picky about who your clients are.
I completely agree that the underlying motion here is the popularity of this website? Hopefully it will backfire and work out in your favour. The majority of sensible minded people will see this story for what it is – an attempted character assassination.
Hopefully a full apology will be issued, and some good will come of this for you.
All you need to know Paul is in the unprecedented response in the comments section.
People across the political and social spectrum who are usually at each other’s throats have united in their condemnation of the HDM and their disgusting vilification of you and your business.
As many people have pointed out the HDM are quite happy to run adverts for prostitutes (sorry… escorts). I’m not a religious man but one of the good lines in the bible is ‘let he is without sin cast the first stone’ or as I like to think of it it… ‘you bloody hypocrites’.
Support you 100% Paul. Just put my complaint into the PCC. Shocked to see how low they go, I think it could back fire on them and discredit the HDM. Found good use for my copy of the HDM paper though, as run out of loo roll. keep doing what you do best mate.
When I heard about this I immediately thought it was a cheap and easy way to discredit what they will see as a site taking away their online readership. They hated the community site thisisull.com with a passion another one “they” saw as a rival…It’s funny when a member of the Northcliffe Media group with however many waged employees fancy offices and awardwinning this and that after their name, has to resort to attacking much smaller sites with little or no financial clout. They recently lost a number of online readers with the loss of Hullvibe so I imagine all the smaller sites will be attacked in turn.
HDM are hugely out of order with this ‘story’. The upside, is I’ve come and checked out this web-site, and whilst I’m no Beverlonian it looks great! As a Hull lass and one of many who will be giving the HDM a wide berth from today, it would appear there’s a gap in the market for a HU1.net type of site…?
Keep up the good work!
I guess the HDM have lost a few readers today through showing how to be hypocritical journos.
Hello Paul and HU17.net
Myself and ‘NO SOUP!’ Productions would like show our disgust at the article published about you and your website and want to show our support for you and your work. You have built up an amazing resource for all things about Beverley and offer free publicity to people like us who cannot afford the ridiculous fees for publicity. You are a key member of the community and a lot of people appreciate your work.
Thanks
x
Paul, I’m glad to see you have had so many messages of support from your local community. I’m going to add mine to those, the HDM have massively shot themselves in the foot over this “story” and will be made to pay for it eventually.
http://newsdiscontent.wordpress.com/2010/03/04/same-old-daily-mail-always-smearing/
You have an excellent case for libel, and my advice would be to go for the guns and get this story pulled from their websites and a full front page apology as an absolute minimum. I’ve passed this story along to a few MPs who will give it more publicity, and Twitter is abuzz with activity as is facebook!
All the best
Steve
So glad to see you have all this support – and so you should, you have done nothing wrong. What hypocrisy from the HDM which carries ads and takes the revenue for call girls and sex chat lines! Cheap sensationalism, and anyone can see it for that. Keep up all the excellent work you are doing to promote Beverley.
Hey, I’ve just read about this ‘scandal’ on The Register. I really can’t see what all the fuss is about myself, at the end of the day how I see it, you’re just doing a job, as long as it’s all legal and above board then who’s it hurting? It’s not as if you’re forcing people to visit the site.
I’d say keep up the good work, I think your site design is quite good myself.
Rob
P.S. If anything it’s made me want to visit Beverley when I’m next up north.
Congratulations on making The Register
Chin up. Although you’re probably already looking at these options, place a formal complaint with the paper, and seek legal advice.
By the way, you’ve got yourself a ton of free advertising at least from this. Good luck in the future with your business, being self employed is a hard life, but can be very rewarding.
Paul, it is not a huge mistake to have contributed to the construction of a client’s website. You never have control of anybody’s website once it’s constructed and yo have instructed clients how to maintain it themselves. Don’t be ushered into taking ANY kind of backward step on this. This is SCANDALOUS, what the Mail have done. It is a flagrant assault on your civil liberties as a private citizen of a free democratic nation, whose entire economy relies on the entrepreneurialism of private investors and small business such as yours.
SUE! SUE THEM ALL!!! I can almost see the amount of names on the petition already!
we’ve all known for a long time that the Hull Daily Mail is a wretched rag, but this latest stunt is…jaw-droppingly wretched! how they can lay claim to any form of integrity after this is beyond me (and i mean any kind of integrity, personal as well as professional)
not much else i can do, except state my support, and add HU17 to my browser favourites.
don’t let ’em grind you down!
My sympaphies that you have been treated in such a shoddy manner. You may want to ask Hull Daily Mail deputy editor about the story below. It would be particularly interesting to ask him what the woman in question did for a living…
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=37536§ioncode=1
I couldn’t believe what i was reading today, and don’t think id ever buy a copy of that trash after what they have written. Id get more sense reading The Fortean Times!!
Hope they get whats coming to them for this.. I’m also thinking about writing to them myself as they keep publishing my band photos and not crediting me anywhere!
Paul, I don’t know you, but the HDM should be ashamed of themselves. You are running a business, you are trying to make money – what is the issue there? Are people jealous? Yes probably. Would people rather you be unemployed and claiming benefits instead?! You just can’t win in this country!! I congratulate you for your entrepreneur skills and talent. I hope you make even more money now you have free promotion for your other website – serves them right!!
ear Mr Smith of [HU17.net] time to consider legal action and sue the HDM for blatant defamation. Better still go straight to the top, bypassing Northcliffe Media and bang on the door of the Daily Mail and General Trust Head Office and stick a rocket up the arse of Martin Morgan, CE, or Lord Rothermere for allowing one of their subsidiaries to go so far downhill as to be scraping barnacles.
Good luck Sir and keep up the good work with your website business.
(For some strange reason the HDM wouldn’t let me post this comment against the said article hmmm!)
I am very angry at the behaviour of the HDM.I wish you every success and hope you have the good sense not to let these fools upset your life.
I am very angry at the behaviour of the HDM.I wish you every success and hope you have the good sense not to let the fools at HDM upset your life. I am heartened to see the support you have from the public.
Best wishes, Barney
The HDM are like all traditional journalists they fail to really understand what the internet is all about so they revert to a stance of primitive protectionism. They are scared shitless and they are failing to adapt.
Keep in mind this is the same editor John Meehan that over-reacted so badly to the BBC’s plans for local news.
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=40081
This is the same company that destroy local jobs by grouping their sub-editors into news factories, and then they wonder why local people create their own websites to fill the gaps.
Essentially what the dinosaur Northcliffe group think is that local news is their property.
In the internet age, this analysis doesn’t stand up at all. If they had any sense they would be promoting internet entrepreneurs not denigrating them.
Keep up the good work. I’d wager with your experience that your website skills and local knowledge are probably a hundred times better than any one working at the HDM.
PAUL THERE SCARED OF A BIG COMPOTION LOOK WHAT YOU HAVE DONE YOU HAVE SINGLE HANDEDLLY MADE A WEB SITE ALL ABOUT BEV AND I THINK THAT IS TOTALLY AMAZING IT MAY TAKE FROM 10-100 PEOPLE FROM THE HDM TO MAKE A WEB SITE AS GOOD AS YOURS IS SOO ILL BE BACKING YOU ALL THE WAY PAST IS THE PAST MATE SOO THERE GUNNA HAVE TO GET OVER IT IF THEY KNEW YOU LIKE I DO THEN THEY WOULD KNOW WHAT A STUPID MISTAKE THEY HAVE MADE YOUR SUCH A GREAT GUY AND YOU DONT DISERVE THIS SOOOO …… GOOD LUCK
The report by the HDM was totaly dispicable and i sincerly hope that you make money/website hits/gain from this shameful story as much as possible. They have lost a reader in myself and you have gained one. I hope you are not too badly affected by all of this.
Cheers,
Mike
I’ve got a scandal for you. Northcliffe Newspapers (the publishers of Hull Daily Mail) regularly accept money to advertise sexual services.
I can prove this in just one paragraph, never mind a badly written front page of a piss-poor rag…
The Stuff4Sale website is owned by Northcliffe Newspapers. When you search for ‘Escorts’ in Hull (under ‘other’), you get this: http://www11.xpresssites.com/northcliffe/marketplace/s4s/item_details.jsp?_RND=695538392
What sordid people! If only we could alert concerned Hull residents to these alarming practices, eh?
I’ve already expressed my thoughts on HDM’s board and they match the unanimous chord sung by everyone. This is the first time I have heard of HU17.net and my only concern is that I didn’t find this sooner – easily my local web newspaper of choice now. Bye bye Hull Daily Mail, hello HU17!
have never visited your site before but after seeing the disgusting article the Hull Daily Mail published on you. I wanted to give you my support and best wishes, you have the support of a whole community keep strong!
Brilliant site design by the way!
Sadly I don’t think you’ll win with PCC or with lawyers, as HDM did publish the truth, albeit in an absolutely cowardly way, utterly hypcritical and filled with nudge-nudge-wink-wink insinuations that are practically borderline libel. They’ve done a number on you, but thankfully people aren’t fooled, as the commenters here and on their own articles have proven.
There is a way to get back at them to ALL residents of Hull who are unaware of their hypocrisy.
Here’s more smut, directly on Hull Daily Mail’s own website…
http://classifieds.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/ThisIsClassifieds/www/default.aspx?p28=thisishull&p24=GeneralClassifieds&p25=GeneralClassifieds&p2=&p3=000006&p4=000000&p5=000000&p6=X0100&p7=&p8=thisishull&p14=&p9=03/03/2010&p10=04/03/2010&p13=1&p12=Date&p16=Results&p18=000006&endParam=1
I think you should do a poster campaign about Hull Daily Mail peddling this “sick” “pornographic” “filth” (written in their style, obviously), and stick it round town just to humiliate them to their offline readers. Taste of their own medicine.
Just found HU17 (Bet you can’t guess how ;o) ) I say this is a top local site! I will be having a beer or three and food from some of the places I found here over the next week or so.
Will probably have my lunch time chips wrapped in the Hull Daily Mail.
Keep the faith. You have a great site. I hope everyone using the site to advertise or promote themselves stays with you.
Just wanted to put on a message of support for Paul, after reading the article I looked at the website for the first time and think it’s fantastic. Well Done. We should be proud that someone wants to show off all the delights of Beverley. The HDM should apologise for the slander they have published. I am 100% behind you Paul..
You’d think a so called ‘newspaper’ would have better things to do than personal attacks on people who have done nothing wrong.
I’ve just filed a complaint with the press complaints commission under clauses 1,10, and 13 – perhaps it would be good if everyone else were to do the same.
Oh look, the Deputy Editor of Hull Daily Fail – Mr David Bourn – used to work at the Norwich Evening News, and what happened?
I believe the public have a right to know what HDM’s David Bourn did, so here’s a tale of how he was arrested and had to resign…
Hull Daily Mail deputy editor had to resign in police arrest and violence scandal. The poster campaign has got legs!
BTW, I’ve been submitting HDM’s shameful smear campaign over on Twitter, got a good retweet out of it, submitted it to TechDirt.com who have a massive audience who love this sort of thing, and begged Graham Linehan (@Glinner) to cover it on Twitter account. Fingers crossed!
As someone who has been a victim of an unfounded HDM vendetta, I know what it feels like. Keep your chin up
The HDM tried to slaughter my company when we had done nothing wrong. they have an agenda and don’t let the truth get in the way of what they want to print. DO NOT BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU READ IN THE DULL DAILY FAIL.
Paul, I dont know you from a bar of soap but I recognise an obvious injustice when I see one. You have my heartfelt support, and I hope the people of Hull see through this pathetic attempt by a local rag to fabricate a story out of nothing. Have you investigated your legal options regarding damages? I’d be amazed if you dont have a solid case here.
Regards from Belgium
As an amateur football manager of almost 11 years I have had a continuous struggle trying to increase the amount of publication for ALL amateur football teams in Hull and surrounding areas with the Hull Daily Mail. The coverage had gone from average down to, for the want of a better word, crap! They have turned their backs on the thousands of lads and a number of women who take part in local sports. HU17.net has finally given local sports the coverage they deserve and highlighted the fact that the HDM simply do not serve local people anymore.
I no longer buy newspapers – the reason? The late Jade Goody labelled by ALL the press as a ‘Racist ignorant pig’ on one page after her Big Brother racist blurt and after her tragic death the same reporters suddenly referred to the “racist pig” as the “Essex princess”! All the press do is sniff around looking for a story, like a pig after truffles and I simply refuse to put my money (even if it is only twenty or thirty pence a day).
I have been in John Meehan’s office (HDM editor), he offered me a job as did Roy Woodcock (now editor of The Journal) – wow hasnt he done well! I was originally offered £50 to cover two pages of sport in the Beverley Advertiser which now simply doesnt cover sport whasoever, never mind any news! I am so glad I didn’t take him up on his paltry offer. I would rather sweeproads than be a reporter – (no disrespect to any ex-roadsweepers meant).
Having met Paul through my football team I was fully aware of his background and what he USED to do – he didn’t tell me I already knew and I used to wind him up about it. Well done him, right or wrong, the porn industry is a massive industry. I know one person in Beverley who has lost £70,000 trying to promote such sites – so not all involved win! Paul has simply shown savvy business skills, took his money and done nothing illegally. All sites set-up where requested by other people and Paul never forced anything upon anyone. He served those asking for domains. It is a simple attack on a rival that will only benefit from this illegal attack on an innocent person. I hope you speak to your solicitors Paul although looking at the responses on both websites I think you have already ‘won’ the battle.
Well… well… well… As an ex-Beverley lad and a fellow web monger I have to say well done!
I refuse to read the Hull Daily Mail when I go home to see my folks – it’s ridiculous how they try to do the East Riding area down and you have borne the brunt of it this time. So, some people with adult sites may or may not have employed you in the past – big deal!
You must have got a whole bunch of traffic to your site, the story is on theregister.co.uk. This news item was pointed out to me by one of my friends who lives in Paris. There really is no such thing as bad publicity. Hat’s off to you. Whatever the HDM’s plan was, it has backfired on them.
The HDM story made me laugh. A lot. For their usual sensationalism of what is, to be fair, just the standard stuff of the web.
Nice site by the way.
Gah, looks like Hull Daily Mail staff are reading this comments and removing content from the very links where I’ve exposed their websites carrying adverts for “escorts” (prostitutes). They’re resulting in a blank page, so I hope some of you have done a screengrab as evidence. If not, a scan of the physical paper (which I believe has adverts for “massage” services and sex chat lines) will do to highlight their hypocrisy.
“…your reward will come in the final act, when each of the characters gets the chance to don their sexy outfits and show what they can do with a pole.” – Hull Daily Mail article on pole dancing show, July 2008.
“Gwenap is so entrenched in the city’s psyche, it has become the focal point for the region’s sex industry.” – A favourable Hull Daily Mail article on sex shop, April 2009.
“When it comes to sex, the pregnant actress – who next stars with Mike Myers in The Love Guru – is quite liberal” – Hull Daily Mail article on Jessica Alba’s sexual roles, May 2008.
“The owner of an iconic sex shop in Hull is calling on budding entrepreneurs to come forward and take it over.” – Another favourable Hull Daily Mail article on the same sex shop, June 2009.
The Hull Daily Fail is a disgrace and there are already over 350 people who think so, there isn’t a single comment on their website supporting their story. I think they will sincerely regret this. You have come out of this the better person and you have done nothing wrong. Good luck to you mate!
what a fab job you do in and around Beverley.
cannot believe the discusting actions of the Hull mail they should be ashamed! and issue a public apology.
keep up the good work the people of Beverley love you.
BACKING YOU ALL THE WAY PAUL!!
The HDM have got it ALL wrong,,your a nice guy / friend / neigbour!!
Keep up the good work and don’t let it get you down, youve got the whole of Beverley on your side!!! Well Done!!
It is a mockery of a sham of a sham of a mockery.
Shame on the paper and their double standards…..
Paul – we’ve got facebook groups up and running. It’s a way of supporting you. But I also want to use them to force the HDM into making a public apology.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=336217853923
It’s simply really – don’t buy the Mail until they apologise folks….if you ever want to buy it again that is.
Just emailed the editorial section to voice my contempt at their ‘story’. I do hope you go for the scrotum with this one, they are a disgrace and become more like the National Enquirer every week.
So someone’s making money in a recession, well am not surprised that made the front page. Good luck to you, they themselves make money out of the adult industry. I bet they don’t scrutinise what their ‘escorts’ get up to once an ad is placed with them. I’d like to see Angus Young and the rest of his editorial team’s home computers examined, I bet the sites they’ve been on would make great news! Looking foward to the front page apology, and then to see their shoddy team down the job centre or coming to you for work on HU17.net!
Hull Daily Mail website is refusing to publish comments about the nocturnal habits of its Deputy Editor David Bourn. I’ve posted this above but just for good measure here’s the link again (from a reputable source). The woman involved was not his wife, or his girlfriend, or a friend…
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=37536§ioncode=1
Nicely done Paul – the hdm have shown themselves to be utter fools and obviously somewhat fear you poaching their readership – which is frankly awesome. Keep up the good work chap – and keep the faith
I am with you 100% Paul!
HDM’s keeping all things local whilst they are laying off whole departments left right and centre and advertising their own Escorts columns, just hypocrisy.
Just another example of shoddy, sordid reporting that tries to grasp ratings that is resulting in the demise and lack of confidence in the local press.
Just flush the HDM away and put it out of it’s misery.
I hope everything works out well for you Paul!
In response to the appalling attack on Paul Smith I have cancelled delivery of the Hull Daily Mail and binned the Beverley Advertiser. In future I will keep up to date with local news via more reputable media and especiallywww.hu17.net. Keep up the good work, Paul!
Just to echo what everyone else is saying, what a POS the Hull Daily Mail is.
It’s easy to cause outrage by using the phrases TEENAGE GIRLS, but 19 is teenage, so is 18. Both are over the age of consent and not illegal.
But that doesn’t sell papers.
But muckraking goes both ways:
David Bourn of the HDM in a bit of bother!
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=37423§ioncode=1
From a fellow developer
HDM is a disgrace! You deserve an apology.
Great to see the support – keep up the great work with HU17, it’s a fantastic site.
Traffic must be going through the roof – I’ve just added a backlink for you on my site in support
I had no idea of the existence of this website until I read that malicious piece of journalism in the Hull Daily Mail yesterday. Rather than apologise, the Hull Daily Mail continued in its attempts to discredit a law-abiding individual with a further article today.
I called the Hull Daily Mail today saying that I wsihed to cancel my subscription to their publications. I got a telephone call in reply from the Assistant Editor (Paul Hartley) attempting to justify the Hull Daily Mail’s position on this story. He said to me that the Hull Daily Mail is not going to let this story lie and that there will be further coverage in tomorrow’s HDM.
Does the HDM publish adverts for Masseurs, Escorts etc in the ‘personals’ section themselves?
Most local rags do…
I suggest you take the HDM to court,can’t believe they’ve gone this low
I’ve emailed the Press Complaints Commission (complaints@pcc.org.uk) about this, since I’m in a similar position south of the river – web designer, an adult site and local news site in the portfolio, plus ThisIs.. in the area.
I hope Paul gets a full-page apology and a lot more work from this.
Keep up the good work Paul. Bev has needed a website like this for years.
Although I had never heard of this website before I am appalled at the holier than thou image of the Hull Daily Mail. It acknowledges that Mr Smith has done nothing illegal, but puts bullet points of what is illegal, so the casual reader would think this is what is contained. I have previously had to contact HDM as they have carried ticket touting personal ads much against Hull City’s wishes and the law. Good luck.
I hope Paul gets a full page apology from the Hull Daily Mail for this complete character assasination. It’s the very nature of the beast that web designers and developers will work on a wide and diverse range of projects, as Mr Smith has done here.
What he has also done is devote an enormous amount of time to the town and people of Beverley, and provided them with a FREE community website.
Once a website is handed over, the content on that site is the responsibility of the owner, NOT the designer. HDM seem to fail to understand this. Shoddy reporting by them, and it’s done them no favours what so ever.
Keep up the good work Paul, you have most of the people of Beverley on your side for a reason!
Paul – looks like you have an awesome website here which the dinosaurs are afraid of as their industry dies. Might not seem like it now but all publicity is good publicity. Good luck, and screw the HDM – their time is up and they know it.
Just made a complaint about the HDM to the Press Complaints Commission
http://www.pcc.org.uk/complaints/form.html
What a tawdry exhibition by the HDM today. A terrible faux pas. Ignore them, please… journalism? They don’t know the meaning of the word!
I am a regyoular reeder of the Hull Daly Male. I carnt see what all this fuss is abowt. In think the Hull Daly Male is reelly good.
He’s a web developer/designer, who cares what sites he’s designed…..my god people can you come back to reality please?
The HDM are the biggest set of hypocrites ever. I have close links with some escorts in Hull and while the HDM throw stones at you they’re quite happy to take money off the escorts for adverts. HDM even offer advice on wording of adverts so they can get their cash while remaining within the letter of the law!
As a further illustration of their hypocrisy, several years ago an agency which worked with sex workers wanted to put an advert in the HDM personal column (where all the escorts and brothels advertise) letting the girls know of the services and support that were available. The HDM refused to allow it, the explanation? ‘If we took the advert we would be admitting that we know the other adverts are for selling sex and therefore the HDM would be breaking the law. As long as the word sex isn’t mentioned we can plead ignorance and escape prosecution’. Some of the adverts they accepted at the time included stuff like ‘Ladies for men, ladies for couples and ladies for ladies’ how can they plead ignorance of what was going on there?
I wish you well Paul, you’re in a service industry and you’ve provided that service to the best of your ability.
Well I for one think we should mass debate it.
As the comments section has now been closed on both HDM articles, I have also reported the newspaper to the Press Complaints Commission instead of commenting directly. The paper’s behaviour over this has been baffling and out-of-order, and they deserve some sort of reprimand.
Fair play to Mr Smith – he’s a normal, everyday IT worker trying to make a living just like thousands of us are. Just because he’s coded a few websites in the past which may contain entirely legal adult material, so what? The HDM is trying to insinuate that because of this he must be some sort of evil sex monster because this site contains pictures of children playing sports. It would seem that the Hull Daily Mail is a chip off the old block as this is exactly the sort of dribbling, retrograde nonsense the Daily Mail would print. Ignore the knuckle dragging morons, Mr smith – anyone with more than a couple of brain cells can see that you have done nothing wrong and this faux outrage is unjustified, twaddle, innuendo and border-line libel. Even the local religious lot have come out in support of Mr Smith and rightly so.
I’m not from your area but I’m SO PLEASED that your local’s and other news sites like theregister have seen this story for the rubbish it is and supported you. It’s fantastic to see that so many have seen through this poor effort for a story and can see that what you do outside of HU17 is a completely different thing and has no bearing or association to the hard work you do here. Congrats on your support, you’ve a town to be PROUD of!!! I’m proud of your town and I live in Stoke on Trent! Good luck for the future, and a big hand shake to Beverley Minster virger Neil Pickford for showing that even the man of God can see you for who you are. That’s my penny’s worth, keep up the hard work
This is a great website for the people of Beverley. I just wish there could be a real alternative to the HDM in Hull. I personally don’t trust anything printed in the name of the non-dom Viscount Rothermere. Non of the semi-literate HDM readers are actually aware of the blatant right-wing agenda of their local paper. They just assume it’s unbiased because it’s THE local news.
We need a local news service dedicated to informing people of real and accurate news rather than the barely subtle fascist agenda of the Rothermere press.
As a former reporter at the HDM I have never been more disappointed in them (despite them giving me plenty of opportunity to feel let down)!
I sincerely hope this doesn’t affect Paul’s business – and the HU17 website looks great.
The HDM always has a mass panic whenever there’s a sniff of competition. They did the same when KC Radio plans were announced and when the BBC moved into Queens Gardens. It’s pathetic. They should concentrate on their own products, rather than trying to dig up dirt on others. And, really, who cares if Paul designed these adult sites? He didn’t pose for them! Get a grip HDM.
From a fellow developer
HDM is a disgrace! You deserve an apology.
Great to see the support – keep up the great work with HU17, it’s a fantastic site.
Traffic must be going through the roof – I’ve just added a backlink for you on my site in support