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.
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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
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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 ?