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‘Revolting’ pictures have been posted online by the man behind Wales’ contentious newest ‘national’ newspaper, who now stands accused of being unfit to hold a role in journalism, The Eye can reveal.
‘Comedian’ Huw Marshall, who has been described as the “driving force” for The National (TN), showed in one picture an unappetising-looking piece of bacon, saying allegedly humorously: “it’s an 18+ month old dressing that was pulled out of the tiny hole that remains of my umbilical hernia wound. Hoping to have the rest removed shortly in the hospital” (crying with laughter emojis).
In another tweet he showed (again supposedly funnily) the same picture of curled bacon, and wrote: “Tonight’s quiz…. Guess the foreign object….” (crying with laughter emoji).
But one outraged journalist who saw the tweets, told The Eye: “These pictures are revolting. It calls into question him being the man who started that newspaper (TN)“.
Yet Mr Marshall has rarely been far from the news. He was severely reprimanded by Twitter because one of his accounts “violated the Twitter Rules”, and it found that another, ‘Welsh Bollocks’, had also broken their regulations.
That however did not stop the famous television sports presenter Gabby Logan endorsing one of his ‘Welsh Bollocks’ tweets.
Before the Wales v Turkey football game in the UEFA Euros she ‘liked’ with three laughing emojis and retweeted, a comment (which once more was theoretically amusing) about Welsh international Joe Rodon from Swansea, that was also retweeted by Mr Marshall himself even though he had written it.
In 2013, it was disclosed that he had made extremely offensive remarks to senior politicians, on Twitter, and complaints after further comments led to the reprimands. One insult eight years ago, was directed at the Labour MS and minister Ken Skates with another hurled at the former Liberal Democrat AM Peter Black. After Mr Skates tweeted in celebration of a one-vote council by-election victory over Plaid Cymru (PC) in Ruabon, Mr Marshall referred to him in his own tweet as a “gloating t**t”, and he described Mr Black as a “humourless t..t” as well as a “dull, tedious t..t”.
Comments like these also came amid other headline-grabbing remarks online. Two people had died and a police officer lost the sight in both eyes when murdering gunman Raoul Moat shot them, yet despite this on July 8, 2010 – with him trying to escape from armed police – Mr Marshall published a message on his Facebook (FB) site, reading: “Hi I’m a sexy 19 year old blond (sic) from the North East of England looking for some fun. Another post read: “Moat reward… if he isn’t caught by next Wednesday, the rewards (sic) being doubled. It’s going to be a Raul (sic) over”.
Mr Marshall’s dealings with the police in a more mundane capacity than his ‘comedy’ about Moat, have also been alarming. He has contacted the police but said on Twitter that there was little they could do as “it is a waste of their precious time”, and “I really pity those who try to undermine my work and reputation”.
But it seems the police HAVE had time to investigate Mr Marshall for alleged harassment. On Twitter he told South Wales Police (SWP) that he intended to make a complaint, however officers responded by informing him that they have a “responsibility to investigate any reports”.
Meanwhile, it is a fundamental tenet of news journalism, as well, to be entirely neutral, and this could be crucial for TN. Yet this may be difficult with Mr Marshall (who has been described as a “chancer” on Twitter) on board, as he has stood for a political party in the past. In 1992 he was Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru’s (PC’s) Parliamentary candidate in Cardiff Central, coming fourth with just 748 votes, however his plans to stand for election as a councillor were scuppered when it emerged that he had posted the so-called ‘jokes’ about rampaging gunman Moat, and published the abusive remarks to senior politicians on social media.
His earlier media ‘venture’ New Media Wales (NMW), or the ‘pilot’ for TN, has also made headlines, with the ‘stories’ being described in Private Eye as “cut and pasted from other news organisations”, and they have been highlighted, too, by The Eye. He has published an article about a doctor learning Welsh, which bore a striking resemblance to an item on the website of a centre which teaches the language to adults, called Nant Gwrtheyrn.
Mr Marshall headlined ‘his’ story: “Aldey Hey Choldren’s Hospital doctor on learning Welsh” when it is in fact AldeR Hey and, of course, CHILDREN’S (correct spelling is also critical for journalists). The item began: “Dr Jonathan Hurst is a doctor at Liverpool Women’s Hospital and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. He’s been learning Welsh for the last two years. etc.
The Nant Gwrtheyrn article opened with: “Dr Jonathan Hurst is a doctor at Liverpool Women’s Hospital and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. He’s been learning Welsh for the last two years.” etc. Yet this is not the first time Mr Marshall has made news when so-called ‘stories’ have appeared in other publications.
This was an article in The Leader based in North Wales: “NORTH Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones is standing down.” etc. This was Mr Marshall’s article which followed it: “NORTH Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones is standing down.” etc. In fact the two pieces are exactly the same throughout, yet underneath Mr Marshall’s, he says: Posted in Welsh News.
Sometimes the changes are minor, such as when Wrexham becomes Wrecsam. This, once more, was The Leader: “WREXHAM Maelor Hospital is under “immense pressure” amid rising coronavirus cases, a doctor has warned. Dr Steve Stanaway, medical director at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, says his teams are dealing with “huge numbers” of cases – which have grown by 86 per cent since Christmas. Speaking to ITV Wales News, Dr Stanaway said the hospital is currently dealing with 108 cases, 11 of which are patients in critical care …” etc.
This was Mr Marshall’s: “Wrecsam Maelor Hospital is under “immense pressure” amid rising coronavirus cases, a doctor has warned. Dr Steve Stanaway, medical director at Wrecsam Maelor Hospital, says his teams are dealing with “huge numbers” of cases – which have grown by 86 per cent since Christmas. Speaking to ITV Wales News, Dr Stanaway said the hospital is currently dealing with 108 cases, 11 of which are patients in critical care…” etc.
Perhaps spelling changes can be part of Mr Marshall’s quiz, after he posted ‘revolting’ pictures online and emerged as the man behind Wales’ contentious latest ‘national’ newspaper, but who now stands accused of being unfit to hold a role in journalism.
Tomorrow – ‘Quiz game part two’ and more disturbing revelations about the ‘comedian’ described as “the driving force” for The National.
Our Editor Phil Parry’s memories of his astonishing decades long, award-winning career in journalism (before the advent of TN or NMW) as he was gripped by the rare disabling condition Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP), have been released in a major book ‘A GOOD STORY’. Order the book now!
