Tens of thousands of readers from across the globe have flocked to a regional daily’s website for its exclusive interview with a self-styled journalist and paedophile hunter.
The Express & Star, in Wolverhampton, saw 45,000 hits on its website from as far afield as the USA, New Zealand and the Philippines, after publishing its feature with Stinson Hunter online.
A poll commissioned by the Express & Star in the wake of the piece revealed 96pc of readers agree with the methods of the controversial internet sleuth, who dedicates his life to trapping predatory paedophiles and describes himself as a journalist on Facebook.
Earlier this month he became the subject of debate among several Midlands titles – and on HTFP – after his appearance in a hard-hitting TV documentary about his operations.
Express & Star editor Keith Harrison said: “It’s the biggest poll we’ve ever run on the website and it’s great to see so many people making their voice heard.
“We’ve had dozens of comments on our website, with many backing Stinson.
“But others have raised concerns about the impact it will have of innocent relatives of those that he’s targeted.
“It’s stories like this where online journalism really comes into its own. It’s not that long ago that such a widespread debate, involving so many thousands of people, would simply not have been possible.”
Nearly 20,000 people voted in an online poll asking for their verdict on the investigator’s controversial methods.
The Express & Star, on whose patch Stinson lives, also claims more than 50,000 people were reached by its social media campaign highlighting the article and poll.
Stinson drew both criticism and praise in the regional press following his appearance in the Paedophile Hunter documentary.
While the Coventry Telegraph exposed his criminal past and Burton Mail reporter Steve Ashby questioned his journalism credentials in his column, Stinson’s hometown paper the Nuneaton News backed his plans to “take his crusade to Parliament.”
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So he’s a “journalist” is he? I wonder how good his shorthand and knowledge of media law is.
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‘The Express & Star, on whose patch Stinson lives’. Err no, Stinson lives in Nuneaton in Warwickshire. Express & Star covers Staffordshire and the West Midlands – nowhere near the same patch. So have they picked up on this story for cheap web hits rather than being a truly local issue…….
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Just think of all the extra ad revenue after all those hits…
Erm, hang on…
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Re. Hacking Cough If you’d bothered to read it, the actual E&S article made clear that Mr Hunter began his ‘campaign’ while living in Stourbridge in 2012 and has highlighted men from Wolverhampton, Stafford, etc. All of which are quite clearly on the E&S patch. It also said the Mr Hunter is now living in Preston. So not only are you inaccurate, you’ve made an assumption based on an inaccuracy. Nice work!
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‘ poll commissioned by the Express & Star in the wake of the piece revealed 96pc of readers agree with the methods of the controversial internet sleuth, ‘
No doubt the good readers would also agree with and enjoy public hanging, witch burning, bear baiting and cock fighting! Surely the job of an editor includes moderating the rantings of self publicists like Hunter., or is it all just about web hits these days?
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Wait a minute, can I refer to you to the sentence I originally referred to ‘The Express & Star, on whose patch Stinson lives’.
As you have kindly proven, he in fact does not live on their patch. As you pointed out yourself, he is now living in Preston. Nice work!
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