Byline Times (a super independent weekly newspaper)
ByLine Times is a super publication. You can order monthly printed copies to your door, or read online (there is also an accompanying TV channel). You can read many articles for free online.
It also runs an investigative journalism channel and a magazine-style Substack account (over 30,000 subscribers and growing).
This is citizen-funded, so your support enables it to report with news, with no ads, bias or political interference. Its ‘poster boy’ is actor Hugh Grant, who you may remember took newspapers to court for tapping his phone.
You can read news here that you won’t find elsewhere. For example, today’s news reports that the government is considering closing a loophole to let foreigners donate huge amounts to UK political parties.
Elon Musk wishes to donate $100 million to Reform, which Nigel Farage says he would accept, if offered.
Here’s the scary part:
Elon’s father says that Reform could get this donation ‘if needed’ to help the party win the next election. Saying ‘I think it’s a good idea’. His father is a South African politician, so what’s it got to do with him, on who funds UK political parties? Byline Times stands up to power.
It also reports how recently Sir Keir Starmer has hired a chief communications officer, linked to The Sun’s phone-hacking and media intrusion (not to mention sexism, with page 3 girls). And even once published an image of a sexual abuse victim, without consent.
You won’t find any of this ‘real news’ on the BBC programs or websites.
A new type of newspaper. No oligarchs, no government bungs, no adverts. Just journalism. Funded by our readers. We will follow the story wherever it goes, without fear or favour.
No PR company, advertise or press baron can influence the stories, we choose to cover. Our integrity comes from our editorial independence. Byline Times
What Was the Phone Hacking Scandal about?
In 2022, it came to light that journalists working for News International (which owned News of the World) had illegally hacked into the voicemails of public figures to get stories, by guessing pin codes and hiring private investigators.
A special law meant that it was almost financially impossible for anyone to go all the way to trial (the only one rich enough to do so was Prince Harry, who recently won his case).
Hugh Grant instead took a financial settlement, and donated all proceeds to press regulation charities. He thought this was more beneficial, than potentially losing the case and going bankrupt.
What gets more serious, is that one phone was hacked of a murder victim. What happened to Milly Dowler revulsed the public so much, the newspaper ended up closing down.
After finding that their daughter’s voicemails had been deleted, Milly’s mother exclaimed to her husband ‘She’s checked her voicemail, Bob – she’s alive!’ In fact, the messages had been deleted by a private investigator, and Milly was likely already dead.
Hugh Grant at the trial called the hacking of a murdered schoolgirl’s voicemail ‘cowardly and shocking’.
Recent articles include:
Virginia Giuffre was an ‘American hero’ and ‘politics with a difference’ by former Green leader and MP Caroline Lucas.
How a plan by Reform UK to scrap nature protection rules would lead to the demise of our countyside and wildlife (including beavers, bats, birds and butterflies).
Natural ecosystems that would suffer from deregulation include chalk streams (almost unique to England), ancient woodlands, salt marshes, sand dunes and endangered peat bogs.
Rivers would also suffer more pollution, algae blooms and sewage, something greatly in the news at present already, due mostly to agricultural run-off from non-organic farms.
