Yesterday I wrote a column for the Express and Star. It was picked up by a Times journalist this morning. Here is the text exchange between Ben Webster and me, you may find it of interest and or amusing.
Ben Webster: Hi Tom, could you tell me what the allegations are against the Times and Sunday Times? Thanks, Ben Webster. You can email me at ***********
Me: Ask the editors.
Ben Webster: I’m following up what you wrote in the Express and Star. Please can you tell me what you were refering to?
Me: Oh don’t be silly. Walk into your editor’s office and ask him.
Ben Webster: I have done. But I would like to know what you were referring to. Why do you seem reluctant to say?
Me: And what did he say?
Ben Webster: You may be aware of allegations the editors are not aware of. That’s why I’m asking you.
Me: Please let me know what your editor said and I’ll confirm whether I concur. It’s a big moment for him to publicly admit for the first time, that the Times has been touched, albeit in a tiny way, by the hacking scandal. Has he done that yet?
Ben Webster: Is it that you are not confident enough of the allegation to say what it is?
Me: Actually, no. It’s because I don’t trust you, your editor or your company not to twist the story. Remember the Murdoch’s first testimony when I went to the toilet and you put a picture of the empty chair on page two? At the time you acknowledged it was a mistake. You said your editor was going to call to put the matter right. He didn’t. So, what did he say to you this morning when you put searching questions to him about the paper being touched, albeit in a tiny way, by the hacking scandal?
Ben Webster: Why don’t you trust me? You have referred to allegations about criminal acts against 2 national papers. I am not aware of those allegations. I’m simply asking you what they are.
Me: To repeat: what did your editor say?
Ben Webster: What story do you think I have twisted? I think it’s unfair to suggest that.
Me: There’s a certain amount of comic dancing around the handbags about this conversation, Ben. You ask why I don’t trust you. I don’t trust you because a; I don’t know you and to my knowledge have never met you b; I don’t read your work because I prefer the guardian for media stories and the telegraph for news and your paper hides behind a paywall c; you work for a company that has used private detectives to put me under covert surveillance on at least two occasions and the chief reporter of another paper in the stable told me of plans by the former chief executive to ‘smear’ me and d; I know and your editor knows exactly how the Times has been touched, albeit in a tiny way, by the hacking scandal and even he seemingly doesn’t trust you enough to give you a straight answer. Under the circumstances, I think most reasonable people would understand why I’m not going to help you more than I already have. Do have a good day, sir.
33 comments ↓
Excellent. I hope he felt embarrassed after that excellent put down.
That’s amazing! Go Tom!
Thank you Tom for posting this.Please keep up your good work,these people are most obviously not to be trusted.I have not purchased a tabloid since Hillsbrough and have spent the last 30 years watching people like Murdoch destroy this country using tactics that would not go amiss in an African dictatorship.Why do people still buy into his world? Keep it up Tom and God bless.
Hah! I love the bruised innocence of the poor delicate NI reporter. Why don’t you trust me? No fair, wail etc
Tom, please don’t ever leave politics. You set the bar in terms of integrity and principles. It’s a great shame there aren’t more like you in Westminster.
A. Voter
You must have demon thumbs.
Ha ha. Dancing round the thrust of the conversation. Well batted back. I doubt he’ll be asking for any more stories
“I’m following up what you wrote”?! Good grief, is he supposed to be a national newspaper journalist?
Nice one Tom! I prefer the other Ben Webster. Keep it up mate, illi
Oh, Mr Watson. I disagree with you sometimes, but I do wish more MPs were like you
Good show 
Brilliant
the cheek for him to expect u to be reasonable and helpful after all theyve done 2 u over the years
bob gaffey
wow. you are good! loved this.
Brilliant Tom. Like Tony Blair said “Today is not a day for cliches” but you’re a damn fresh breath of air!
Tom
If this guy doesn’t know why you don’t trust him he: has been on Mars for the last 9 months, is in wilful denial or just plain thick. Probably combination of 2 & 3.
Good hunting’!
Too funy, hard not to chuckle to myself after reading this exchange … I wouldn’t trust any journalist from News Corp if my life depended on it.
It must be an interesting job at the moment The Times media editor, something akin to being a Rebublican Congressman up for re-election in 1974, having to explain Nixon’s resignation on the doorstep.
LOL!
isn’t he one of the editors or is the title assigned to anyone working there?
is anyone running a website recording such exchanges between real people and journos and their agents on phishing trips?
Don’t tell them anything Mr Watson , I doubt Mr Webster could find the exit door .
This was very interesting, but the thing that I really could not stop thinking about when reading the longer messages was whether your network was charging you for one text message or several. It really made me feel a bit pedantic and anxious!
Kudos on slipping in the dancing around handbags thing, that made me laugh.
To be honest, I haven’t followed this whole issue closely, and I’m not trying to catch you out. It just seems to me if you say something like that, publicly – especially in the context of a call for openness and honesty – you should be ready to explain what you mean. Unless there’s some legal nuance I’m missing or something. I guess if you refused to answer this journalist’s questions for precisely the reasons you say, that’s fair enough. But if you just don’t want to say what you meant, it seems you’re being evasive – albeit rather cleverly.
Well handled, and well done. Unpleasant though. Hopefully we’ll see an end to malpractice in the press before too long. It is appalling it’s been allowed to deteriorate so far. Too many self-serving people around, sadly. Are you willing to be cloned?
Goes without saying really, but stick to your guns Tom. Perhaps one day we can form a Government where the majority of MP’s are like you, rather than the minority.
Seems as though the Times has gone down the same path as the WSJ under Murdoch – business interests / ideological rag. Keep up the great work with your battle, Tom. We watch with interest here is Oz.
Ben Webster (AKA Any NI reporter) “Why don’t you trust me?”
Well um…….
I think you showed great restraint. Did this all happen in text? Don’t reporters pick up the phone any more or are they scared they’re being, oh I don’t know, hacked?
Great stuff Tom, keep the [Removed] on their toes…I was going to add, and keep them honest, but realised that horse has long booted
woops booted = bolted
Well said Tom.
You speak for those of us on the side of honesty and ethics when you repeatedly call out the Murdochracy.
I live 12,000 km away from you but can I assure you that here in Australia, your work is much admired, as we are suffering under the baleful influence of the Murdochracy here too.
Give ‘em hell!
twitter: @fran_b__
Well done Tom! Many people I know admire your courageous and inteligent stand against the so called “free press” If they were really interested in freedom of choice, they would stick to the facts and let people make their own decisions.
Yeah, but why don’t you trust him ‘arf ‘arf
Let them sweat Tom, London Times has never made a profit, will NEVER make a profit , every year it loses around £40 million.
All you need to do is shut down the Sun sooner rather than later.
101% support for you Mr.Tom Watson.
Ha! Well said, especially your final response. Enjoyed the column as well, and thank for you for your really quite remarkable bravery in standing up to these incompetent, yet dangerous and irresponsible, venal fools.
This guy was on a fishing expedition. Don’t even think he asked his editor anything. Admire your work. Nobody deserves this type of action #hacking. Hope you succeed in cleaning up the mess. Glad NI never spread their tenticles as far as South Africa.
Don’t buy/trust the Times/Sun, or ANY Murdoch rag
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