Having the Sex Carnival has allowed us to post about a wide range of subjects and concerns, depending on our whims: sex and sexuality, news, local events of interest, blogs and blogging, security and privacy.
And you know privacy and protecting a blogger’s identity is a big concern of mine.
Which is why I am reposting (at her request) a threatening email sent to the Girl with a One Track Mind by Nicholas Hellen of The Sunday Times (London) on the eve of her outing.
It’s part of her 2006 roundup post, which collects the highs and lows of her past year, a year defined by her being outed by the media. (“I’ve been proud that my writing crossed into the book medium this year; I’ve been gutted that I lost my anonymity in the process.)
You think you are being careful about protecting your identity, but trust me, you’re not.
-Viviane
Update: Abby commented on the post: “Other sexbloggers may be interested to know that this Sunday Times journalist Nicholas Hellen was also responsible for the extended harassment of the sexblogger-turned author Belle de Jour, all throughout 2004 and 2005.”
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Below is one of the actual emails from the Sunday Times newspaper which was sent to me the day prior to the publication of their article ‘outing’ me. [For reasons of privacy, I have deleted certain details in the parentheses]. I print this to show the level newspapers will stoop to, to get a ‘story’, and also to highlight the private effect that an article such as this can have:
Aug 5, 2006 11:08 AM
Dear Miss [my name],
We intend to publish a prominent news story in this weekend’s paper, revealing your identity as the author of the book, Girl With a One Track Mind.
We have matched up the dates of films you have worked on – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Batman Begins and Lara Croft Tomb Raider – and it is clear that they correlate to your blog. We have obtained your birth certificate, and details about where you went to school and college.
We propose to publish the fact that you are 33 and live in [my address] -London, and that your mother, [her name], is a [her address] -based [her profession]. The article includes extracts from your book and blog, relevant to your career in the film industry. We also have a picture of you, taken outside your flat.
Unfortunately, the picture is not particularly flattering and might undermine the image that has been built up around your persona as Abby Lee. I think it would be helpful to both sides if you agreed to a photo shoot today so that we can publish a more attractive image.
We are proposing to assign you our senior portrait photographer, Francesco Guidicini, and would arrange everything to your convenience, including a car to pick you up. We would expect you to provide your own clothes and make up. As the story will be on a colour page, we would prefer the outfit to be one of colourful eveningwear.
We did put this proposal to you yesterday, but heard nothing back. Clearly this is now a matter of urgency, and I would appreciate you contacting me as soon as possible. To avoid any doubt we will, of course, publish the story as it is if we do not hear from you.
Yours sincerely,
Nicholas Hellen
Acting News Editor
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